The Champions League Group Stage is swiftly coming upon us!  Last week saw the final six places revealed as AEK Athens, Young Boys, Ajax Amsterdam, Red Star Belgrade, Benfica, and PSV Eindhoven punched their tickets.  Thus, with the field set, the UCL Draw commenced last Thursday from Monaco.  As such, this week on LSB I’ll dissect each of the eight groups, and reveal who I believe will advance to the knockouts come the new year.  Let’s get started!

Group A

Group A is highlighted by defending Europa League winners and site hosts for this season’s UCL Final in Atletico Madrid.  Without a doubt, expect Los Rojiblancos to stroll through this group that also pits Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, and Monaco.  A battle for second between BVB and the Rouges et Blancs will produce the most intrigue, with Club Brugge thankful for participating. 

1. Atletico Madrid    2. Borussia Dortmund        3. AS Monaco FC     4. Club Brugge

Group B

This year’s “Group of Death”, Group B features Barcelona, Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven, and Tottenham Hotspur!  For sure, one big boy (Barca, Inter, Tottenham) will be left out from the Round of 16, and if a rising Netherlands squad in PSV can continue to impress, then perhaps two of the big dogs will be eliminated at this stage.  Barcelona is of course the cream of the crop as they still have Messi and company, but I could see any of the other three finishing 2nd, 3rd or 4th.  Inter’s back in the big dance after a six year hiatus, so count on the Nerazzuri to produce some memorable and passionate performances, particularly at home.  The San Siro will be electric.  As such, I’ll give the edge to Inter in fishing second and heading to the knockouts.

1. Barcelona         2. Inter Milan        3. Tottenham Hotspur        4. PSV Eindhoven    

Group C

Another tough group, Group B Light if you will, C includes Red Star Belgrade, Liverpool, Napoli, and PSG.  For me, any of Liverpool, Napoli, or PSG can win realistically win the group, let alone finish in the top two.  Thus, this will make for some entertaining matches throughout all six games.  On paper, PSG looks like the strongest side, yet questions continue to abound regarding team chemistry, heart, and determination as the Parisiens never seem to be able to get past the traditional powerhouses.  Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp appears to have concocted the right potion of players at Anfield as the Reds ran their way to the UCL Final last season and currently sit atop the Premier League standings this year.  Then there’s Napoli.  They’d shown grit and class in its first couple of Serie A matches this season, but then got spanked by Sampdoria 3-0, so perhaps there’s a bit of Dr Jeckle and Mr Hyde with Carlo Ancelotti’s men.

1. Liverpool               2. PSG                  3. Napoli                   4. Red Star Belgrade

Group D

The most wide-open group in this year’s UCL is undoubtedly Group D.  Whilst lacking even a single Top 5 League power, (Schalke is from Germany, but would hardly be considered a power), this group has the best potential for matchday six playing group positioning decider.  All four teams, whether it’s Porto, Schalke, Galatasaray, or Lokomotiv Moscow, have a shot of finishing within the top two.  Since I have an affinity for Istanbul squads and its “Welcome To Hell” mantra, I’m picking Galatasaray to finish second, with Porto winning the group.  Schalke will disappoint, and Lokomotiv Moscow will be scratching its head wondering what happened, just like a year ago.  

1. Porto         2. Galatasaray     3. Schalke        4. Lokomotive Moscow

Group E

A rather intriguing group as AEK, Ajax, and Benfica will all battle for second place.  Bayern Munich is the lone heavyweight, however a trip for the Bavarians to the Amsterdam ArenA will be a must watch.  Arjen Robben will want to put on a show in front of this native fans, but you can expect de Godenzonen to put up a tough test.  Meanwhile, Benfica will look to bounce back from an embarrassing UCL campaign last year.  A season that saw the Aguias finish fourth in its group.  Lastly, no one wants to make the trek all the way over to Greece (Unless you’re on holiday), and then deal with such a rabid fan base.  However, in the end, AEK will likely finish last. 

1. Bayern Munich    2. Ajax Amsterdam    3. Benfica               4. AEK Athens

Group F

Group F features one of Europe’s most potent attacks in Manchester City, as well as another 2017-18 Round of 16 participant in Shakhtar Donetsk, rounded out by Lyon, and Hoffenheim.  The Cityzens are so talented that they’ve already clinched first within this group.  Thus, it’s a battle for second place where I could see any of the remaining contestants clinching.  Despite, Donetsk reaching the knockouts last year, replacing Fred and Bernard will be a tall task.  In addition, Hoffenheim didn’t play in Europe (UCL/Europa) until last year, thus a winning pedigree hasn’t been established yet.  Therefore, I’m going with Lyon, who’s performed admirably over the years in Europe, plus they return playmaking maestro Nabil Fekir.

1. Manchester City    2. Lyon            3. Shakhtar Donetsk        4. TSG Hoffenheim

Group G

This group consists of two true contenders in Real Madrid and AS Roma.  CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen will finish decidedly third and fourth.  Real, the current three-peat UCL champions, haven’t missed a beat since the departure of club legends Zinadine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo.  Meanwhile, whilst Roma looks set to take a step back within an ever strengthening Serie A, the Wolves are still on higher level than the men from Moscow or Plzen. 

1. Real Madrid     2. AS Roma        3. CSKA Moscow        4. Viktoria Plzen

Group H

The eighth and final group of the UCL includes a couple of historic giants in Juventus and Manchester United, while also featuring Valencia and Young Boys.  Juventus is the clear favorite for me to win the group, however I’m sure some in England would beg to differ.  With that said, I actually foresee an upset within Group H, as Man U will finish third behind the Spanish Bats.  Man U faired rather poorly last campaign against teams from Spain and Switzerland, and I expect that trend to continue this go around.

1. Juventus         2. Valencia         3. Manchester United        4. Young Boys

*Matchday 1 begins Tuesday, September 18th