UEFA Champions League Group Stages: Preview & Predictions

The UEFA Champions League is back for another exciting season as the heavyweights of European football battle it out to become Champions of Europe with the Final taking place on the 28th of May at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia. This Champions League season will be the first after UEFA scrapped the away goal rule in the summer, meaning games in the knockout stages that remain level will go into extra time. The season also sees the return of football supporters in stadiums after last season when fans did not attend games due to the pandemic. With big business done during the transfer window, expectations are quite high for this season. So, here are the eight groups in the competition and which teams have higher chances of going through to the knockout stages.

GROUP A: MANCHESTER CITY, PSG, RB LEIPZIG & CLUB BRUGGE

Pep Guardiola managed to get Manchester City to their first-ever appearance in the Champions League Final. However, they left empty-handed losing 1-0 to Chelsea. With just the arrival of Jack Grealish, the Premier League champions are settled and will be looking to go one better this time around. The same can be said about PSG. Reaching the final in 2020, they were knocked out by Pep's side in the semifinals and lost the Ligue 1 title. They have responded with an incredible transfer window, signing Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Georginio Wijnaldum, Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi. With the quality of players, they have brought in and the experience of the last two seasons, the Parisians will be trying to make the most out of their new super team this season in their pursuit of that European title. RB Leipzig has become mainstays in the Champions League but is experiencing major changes with American coach Jesse Marsch replacing Julian Nagelsmann and losing Dayot Upemacano, Ibrahima Konate and Marcel Sabitzer. They can give City and PSG a bloody nose but their chances of advancing are slim. Club Brugge is coming into their fourth straight season in the Champions League but they are heavy outsiders in the group. The Belgian Champions have a lot to deal with and could potentially finish bottom of the group.

MANCHESTER CITY & PSG likely to go through. RB LEIPZIG for the UEL

GROUP B: ATLÉTICO MADRID, LIVERPOOL, FC PORTO & AC MILAN

Potentially the most difficult group with possible banana skins that affect the outcome of this group. La Liga Champions Atlético and Premier League side Liverpool are the two favourites to go through to the knockout stages. Atletico does have the upper hand in their head-to-head record against the 2019 Winners, having beaten them in the Round of 16 in March 2020. After a few mediocre seasons in Europe, this could be an opportunity for Los Rojiblancos to go on a potential run to the Final. Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp is usually in the mix to win the competition with a squad that has won this competition before and has key players like Virgil van Dijk returning from a long-term injury. However, Porto and AC Milan could crash the party for the two favourites. Porto can spurn up a surprise like beating Juventus last season, reaching the quarters. Seven-time winners AC Milan are back after eight years away and they will want to make the most of it with the experience of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Simon Kjaer plus players to look out for like Franck Kessie, Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao. 

ATLETICO MADRID & LIVERPOOL are likely to go through. MILAN for the UEL

GROUP C: SPORTING CP, BORUSSIA DORTMUND, AFC AJAX & BESIKTAS

Sporting CP returns to the Champions League for the first time since the 2017/18 season. However, they enter the competition as Portuguese champions for the first time in almost two decades with Uruguayan defender Sebastian Coates as their captain and attacking midfielder Pedro Goncalves, the top scorer of the Primeira Liga last season with twenty-three goals. Borussia Dortmund is heavy favourites to go through the top of their group with Eerling Haaland still at the Westfalonstadion for another season. They have a new manager in Marco Rose and replaced Jadon Sancho with Dutch forward Donyell Malen from PSV Eindhoven. Four-time winners Ajax will be hoping for a better showing this season. The Eredivisie club was knocked out in the group stage last season and crashed out of the Europa League very early as well. Besiktas won the Turkish Super Lig last season by the narrowest margin. They have French striker Michy Batshuayi from Chelsea on loan, Gokhan Tore and Miralem Pjanic on loan from Barcelona. They will be hoping to reach the knockout stages for the first time since 2018 but achieving that will be pretty difficult.

BORUSSIA DORTMUND & AJAX to go through. SPORTING for the UEL.

GROUP D: INTER MILAN, REAL MADRID, SHAKHTAR DONETSK & SHERIFF TIRASPOL

One of the criticisms of the Champions League group stage is that it is quite repetitive. That was reflected in Group D. Three of the four times in Group D were in the same group last season. Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk faced each other last year and will have to do it again. Sheriff Tiraspol enters the Champions League for the first time in its history after eight games in the qualifying rounds. They are the youngest club in the competition, having been formed in 1997 and are the first Moldovian club to play in the group stage. Serie A champions Inter have a lot to deal with during the off-season with Antonio Conte, Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi all leaving. With Simone Inzaghi, all the helm, the Nerazzurri not only have a title defence but a strong running in Europe as well. Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk can give sides a headache which was reflected last season when they battled Madrid and Inter last season. Real Madrid reached the semifinals last season and is in a transition under Carlo Ancelotti. They have signed French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga and left-back David Alaba but have lost defensive stalwarts Sergio Ramos and Rafael Varane. Changes will happen for Los Blancos within the next few months but they are in the conversation for potential winners.

REAL MADRID & INTER MILAN to go through. SHAKHTAR DONETSK for the UEL.

GROUP E: BAYERN MUNICH, FC BARCELONA, BENFICA & DYNAMO KYIV

2020 Winners Bayern Munich are under transition with Julian Nagelsmann now taking charge of the Allianz Arena after three years at RB Leipzig. He took Dayot Upamecano and Marcel Sabitzer with him, adding more to a side that achieved so much over the past few years. With Robert Lewandowski not slowing down, Bayern will be thereabout in the final stages of the competition. The same cannot be said for Barcelona. They will want to forget the infamous 8-2 defeat to Bayern in the quarters in 2020 and have just lost Lionel Messi. Aside from getting their finances in check, Barcelona are have started life without Messi with Memphis Depay now the main man for the Blaugrana. This will be an interesting season, seeing the potential for Barcelona to start this new era by responding to critics or proving the doubters right. Benfica is heavy outsiders to get to the knockout stages. The Portuguese giants made it through the playoffs, beating Spartak Moscow. Dynamo Kyiv made it as Ukrainian champions but looks very likely to finish bottom of the group.

BAYERN MUNICH & FC BARCELONA to go through. BENFICA for the UEL.

GROUP F: VILLARREAL, MANCHESTER UNITED, ATALANTA & BSC YOUNG BOYS

Another group that rekindles past meetings. Villarreal will face Manchester United in the group stages after their encounter in the Europa League Final last season, which the Spanish side won on penalties. The Yellow Submarine under Unai Emery will have a bigger test in the Champions League this season, having finished outside the Champions League places in La Liga last season. With many of the players still around, it could be an opportunity the Spanish side can take. Manchester United made a big statement with Jadon Sancho, Rafael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo coming in. Pressure will be on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to finish silverware but with Ronaldo still fantastic, Sancho one of the best young wingers and a winner in Varane, United might shake a few feathers in Europe this season. Atalanta has excited many fans over the past few years but things may have gone stale at Bergamo. They will be their hyper-attacking self but this team may be in their last legs. Young Boys made it after a long qualifying round, reaching the group stages after beating Ferencvaros in the playoffs. 

MANCHESTER UNITED & VILLARREAL to go through. ATALANTA for the UEL.

GROUP G: LILLE, SEVILLA, RED BULL SALZBURG & WOLFSBURG

Unfairly dubbed the 'Europa League Group', all four teams in Group G have a strong chance of making it through to the knockouts. Lille enters the Champions League as French champions but with Christophe Galtier leaving as well as key players from that campaign, the Ligue 1 side will welcome this as a distraction from the domestic season but going through is another question. Kings of the Europa League are favourites to go through as they are the strongest team. They were knocked out by Dortmund last season in the Round of 16 as Julen Lopetegui's side are glad that French defender Jules Kounde is still in Seville after transfer links with Chelsea. Red Bull Salzburg have a greater chance of going through this time around, given the opposition in their group. They have been unable to go through due to strong opposition but their competition gives them a chance despite losing striker Paston Daka and coach Jesse Marsch, who left for Leipzig. Wolfsburg is the wildcard of the group. They have Dutch manager Mark van Bommel as their new coach and have started well in the Bundesliga. Despite not having any players of note, they are a defensive astute side which will help them in getting through the group.

WOLFSBURG & SEVILLA to go through. RED BULL SALZBURG for the UEL.

GROUP H: CHELSEA, JUVENTUS, ZENIT ST. PETERSBURG & MALMO

Defending champions Chelsea are now a settled side under Thomas Tuchel. The German who was appointed midway through last season delivered the 'Big Ears' beating Manchester City in the Final. They have now added Romelu Lukaku, signing him from Inter. That has added a goal threat the Blues lacked last season with Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham their top scorers with 12 each. Also signing Saul on loan, they have made necessary signings to help their pursuit in defending their title. Juventus have let Cristiano Ronaldo go and brought back Max Allegri as manager. The Old Lady is undergoing changes with Manuel Locatelli coming in and Federico Chiesa lighting up Euro 2020. Potential to go through but have more questions over them regarding defence and squad size. Russian champions Zenit have an extra incentive to do well as the final is taking the stage on their home ground. However, the chances of them going through, let alone going to the final are slim to none. Malmo had a long enough to get to the group stages beating Rangers and Ludogorets along the well to play in the group stage since 2015.

CHELSEA & JUVENTUS to go through. ZENIT ST. PETERSBURG for the UEL.