The premier European club competition, the UEFA Champions League, is all set to go for the 2017-18 season. The draw has been made and the eight groups are set. The question now is which teams will go on to win them? Let’s go through each group and see which team has the best shot of coming out on top.
Manchester United are back in the Champions League after three years away, and it’ll be a significant shock if they don’t top what is a pretty favorable group from their perspective. Portugues giants Benfica should offer the most resistance and will be the favorites to qualify along with United for the next round.
Although it’s predetermined that Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain will be the two teams to qualify from this group, it’ll be interesting to see whether PSG can pip the German giants for top spot.
The French giants spent a fortune on Neymar and Kylian Mbappe this summer for the sole purpose of making a splash in the Champions League, and they will have the chance to show whether they’re ready for the big time when they face Bayern.
Atletico Madrid have consistently done very well in the Champions League under manager Diego Simeone, but they will face a challenging group with English champions Chelsea and Roma. Atleti should be able to will their way to the top of the group, but don’t be surprised if Roma spring a surprise and snatch second place from Chelsea.
Barcelona may be favored to win this group, but Juventus have a real chance of overtaking the Spanish giants. The Neymar exit was huge, but Barca’s continued weakness in midfield will likely be their undoing, particularly in their games against Juve.
This group is Liverpool’s for the taking. They have more than enough firepower to blow their opposition away, while their nearest competitors, Sevilla, are in the midst of another regime change that will likely see them fall off a bit.
Man City are obviously the class of the group, but Napoli will be a tricky opponent. The Italian side has some talented players to give Pep Guardiola’s men a stiffer test than anticipated, and might have the biggest potential to spring a surprise out of any group.
By far the most competitive group of the lot, it’s easy to see the four ending up in any number of order. Monaco is perhaps the most likely to qualify, but they are by no means locks to win the group. And while Leipzig have the talent, they will be tournament debutantes and could get exposed by more experienced campaigners. Monaco probably wins this group in the end, but it won’t be easy.
After becoming the first team ever to successfully defend the Champions League, Real Madrid have to show signs of slowing down in this tournament at some point. While they are still the team to beat, Borussia Dortmund have the talent to give the champs a run for their money atop the group once again. Dortmund, of course, won their group over Real last season.
Tottenham could theoretically make it a three-horse race, but they don’t have home-field advantage with their continued struggles at Wembley, so it’ll likely be Real and Dortmund left duking it out.
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