The Champions League is back and as unpredictable as ever. The transfer window has come and gone and we’re in the thick of domestic seasons, so it’s time for the most beautiful song ever composed to be blared into my speakers this week (Selfishly, after a 2-year hiatus I am very excited for Tottenham to be playing on UCL nights again). The Premier League spent almost as much as Europe’s other (traditional) top 5 leagues combined, but that is by no means vindictive of heightened expectations across Europe. What are some interesting storylines to follow for this UCL campaign? Which group is the hardest? Easiest?
A Rigged Draw
How did Lewandowski and Barcelona draw Bayern Munich, Haaland and Manchester City play Dortmund, and Juventus with Angel Di Maria have P$G in their group? I don’t think it’s actually rigged (could you imagine FIFA ever fixing something?), but these are all peculiar storylines, especially Lewandowski returning to Munich. Fikayo Tomori also returns to Chel$ea where he was ousted and has thrived at AC Milan in the 2+ seasons since. Also, I swear Napoli and Liverpool are in the same group every single UCL season and you can’t convince me that it’s not a sham.
Group Predictions
Bear with me here cause I’ll have to write about 8 groups so keeping these short and sweet. I would be happy with myself if I correctly predict 12+ of the 16 teams that advance to the knockout stage.
Group A
In a more difficult group, even Liverpool will need to be at their best to advance with Napoli and Ajax challenging (Rangers are a solid team as well). Napoli have started Serie A strong while Liverpool have been lackluster in the PL. Ajax basically sold half its team to Manchester United.
Napoli
Liverpool
Ajax
Rangers
Group B
Not the most exciting group here, but it should be competitive. Atletico Madrid have the most experience but their squad remains largely unchanged from a season ago. Leverkusen should compete for the top spot while Club Brugge and Porto are unpredictable.
Atletico Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen
Club Brugge
Porto
Group C
Hands-down the group of death. It’s a shame that one of Bayern Munich, Barcelona, or Inter Milan won’t make the knockout stages (and poor poor Viktoria Plezn). The safe bet feels like taking Bayern and Barcelona, but this is a terribly difficult group to predict.
Bayern Munich
Barcelona
Inter Milan
Viktoria Plezn
Group D
A dream draw for Tottenham, but they’ll find a way to make it difficult. Spurs and Marseille have started their domestic campaigns well while Frankfurt perform well in European competitions. This group is winnable for any of the 4 squads.
Tottenham Hotspur
Marseille
Sporting Lisbon
Eintracht Frankfurt
Group E
This group is top-heavy with Chel$ea and AC Milan, but Salzburg and Zagreb both have the ability to beat either of the big clubs (Salzburg made the knockout stage last season). Chel$ea should be an interesting team to follow as their many new signings integrate into the team.
Chel$ea
AC Milan
Dinamo Zagreb
RB Salzburg
Group F
Real Madrid were gifted an easy group while they likely don’t need it to defend their trophy. Their run to yet another UCL title was nothing short of magical last season and they are in a prime position to win their group. Also, Ukrainian power is going to give Shaktar the edge for a knockout qualification.
Real Madrid
Shaktar Donetsk
RB Leipzig
Celtic
Group G
Manchester City should comfortably win the group but Sevilla and Dortmund will not be easy opponents. They will likely go down to the final matchday to determine the second knockout spot. Copenhagen is just about guaranteed to finish last but they could take crucial points away from others in the group.
Manchester City
Borussia Dortmund
Sevilla
Copenhagen
Group H
Finally, we have an electric group featuring P$G and Juventus along with a solid Benfica side. Experience should guide the heavyweights to the knockout stages but it will be tighter than expected.
P$G
Juventus
Benfica
Maccabi Haifa
Final Predictions
Who will win the final this season? There will be so much elite quality in the knockout sides, but experience will prove to be important. I’m going with the following:
Champions League Final: Bayern Munich beating Manchester City
Player of the Season: Erling Haaland
Goalkeeper of the Season: Manuel Neuer
Defender of the Season: David Alaba
Midfielder of the Season: Kevin de Bruyne
Forward of the Season: Sadio Mane
Drop a comment or troll LADS most recent Instagram post if you have any thoughts on my predictions. Seriously, the comments on their posts are starting to get hilarious and I’d love to see someone triggered at a meaningless blog. Gonna go play the anthem on repeat from publishing time until 1:00 pm MT on Tuesday afternoon.