The Race for European Prestige

The Champions League is Europe’s most prestigious soccer competition, where 32 of Europe’s best compete to be named the Champions of Europe and have their name etched into history forever. As the days go by, the Champions League, the heart of European football, is edging closer and closer. Teams will now feel the heat of having multiple games in a week. Though there are a variety of different ways in which the group stage can pan out, here are The Spectator’s final predictions for the group stages.

Group A

On paper, Group A, comprising Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Copenhagen, and Galatasaray, seems like an easily predictable group. Based on the quality of the teams, there are only two realistic options for teams that can advance to the knockouts. The obvious choice for first place would be Bayern Munich, due to the added firepower it received with Harry Kane up front. In addition, it’s still undefeated in the Bundesliga as things stand. On the other hand, as poorly as it has started the season under manager Erik ten Hag, Manchester United is still likely to win the second spot. In this case, their success would not be the result of their own excellence but rather of the other teams’ relative weakness.

Group B

Many may disregard Group B because of the form some of these clubs are in this season, but in reality, there are many ways in which this group has the potential to prove their caliber. The group consists of Arsenal, Sevilla, PSV, and Lens. In first place, the obvious choice comes down to the pure quality of the squad: Arsenal. After a great season last year, managed by Mikel Arteta, the Gunners shouldn’t be too scared of missing the knockouts. Despite not having the most convincing victories, they have always found a way to secure a win. However, the second spot in the group could go many ways. There is Lens, which finished second in Ligue 1 but has had an abysmal start to the season; PSV, which has been flying in the Eredivisie this season with four wins out of four, 13 goals scored, and only one goal conceded; and Sevilla, the kings of the Europa League. In the end, though many may predict Sevilla to come second after Arsenal, PSV will more likely be the runners-up due to the style of football they play under Peter Bosz as well as their current form. 

Group C

Group C is another interesting group where there is a small chance of an upset or two. The group consists of Napoli, Real Madrid, Braga, and Union Berlin. Napoli, having won the Scudetto last season, looks to get revenge in the Champions League after being eliminated in the knockout rounds last season. Real Madrid, on the other hand, are the kings of the Champions League and, after the loss of Karim Benzema, look to benefit from their new starboy, Jude Bellingham, which is why they are likely to top the group over Napoli. Don’t be surprised, however, if either Union Berlin or Braga are able to get themselves a surprise result in one of the matchdays. 

Group D

Similar to Group B, Group D contains many decent teams, including Benfica, Inter, Salzburg, and Real Sociedad. All four of these teams can be considered good in their respective domestic leagues, so it seems as if team quality is the deciding factor at this point. Taking this into account, Inter is first. But as we saw last season, Benfica was a threatening force until it was knocked out. It will definitely be exciting to see Benfica and Inter battle for the top two spots. 

Group E

Group E has an interesting variety of teams composed of Atletico Madrid, Lazio, Feyenoord, and Celtic. Atletico is the clear favorite to win the group, as none of these teams should prove to be a problem for the Spanish giants. The bigger question is who else will qualify for the knockout rounds. Celtic lost tactical mastermind Ange Postecoglou and don’t have a great quality of players. Lazio have been impressive at the beginning of the season against some top Italian teams, giving them a narrow edge against Feyenoord. 

Group F
This year, Group F is the “group of death,” consisting of PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle, and AC Milan. Though PSG experienced the major departures of Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr., it is still the favorite to make it out of this tough draw. The other team that is likely to make it to the Round of 16 is AC Milan, with a mix of experienced and youthful playmakers that can guide it forward. Despite the loss of Bellingham, Dortmund doesn’t look like a much weaker team than last year. In addition, though Newcastle had a few impressive wins against teams such as Tottenham and Manchester United, expecting the club to make the knockout rounds would be an overstatement, as it is coming off a 20-year Champions League drought.

Group G

Group G is the clearest group to predict in this year’s Champions League draw. It consists of Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Crvena Zvezda, and Young Boys. Manchester City and Erling Haaland are likely to run the show in this group and go a perfect 6-0-0 with a relatively easy draw. RB Leipzig lost Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea in the summer transfer window, but Leipzig should get easy wins against Zvezda and Young Boys to finish second in the group.

Group H

Group H has Barcelona, FC Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Antwerp. It should be almost as clear as Group G, with Barcelona dominating their competitors. FC Porto could have trouble with Shakhtar and Antwerp at away games but can be trusted to take care of business at home. Barcelona and Porto simply outclass Antwerp and Shaktar, making them the clear-cut favorites of the group.

With that, The Spectator’s predictions for the Champions League group stage are complete. Out of the 32 possible options, only 16 advance to the knockouts, and though it was tough enough to predict the group stages, predicting the knockout rounds will be even more challenging.