The 2019-20 Champions League draw was held on Thursday in Monaco, setting the group stages for the first part of the competition.
Plenty of intriguing groups were created, and now it’s time to look at which teams will be favored to move on to the competition’s knock-out round from each group.
Group A: Paris St. Germain and Real Madrid
PSG and Real Madrid look to be the clear-cut favorites to advance in this top-heavy group. Despite the uncertainty swirling around both clubs, they easily have enough talent to take down the Turkish Super Lig champions and Club Brugge.
Group B: Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur
Group B look a lot like Group A in that there are two titans at the top and two teams that are glad to just be along for the ride at the bottom. Tottenham was a surprise Champions League finalist last year, and Bayern Munich will have aspirations to lift the trophy this season. They look like obvious favorites to advance.
Group C: Manchester City and Atalanta
Manchester City had to have been thrilled to draw this group, in which any of the other three teams have a fighting chance of going through. I’ll go with Atalanta to join them, whose experience in the tough Serie A could give them an edge over Dinamo Zagreb and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Group D: Juventus and Atlético Madrid
Fireworks are going to fly in Group D as Juventus and Atlético Madrid will face in a rematch of last season’s Round of 16 matchup that saw Atleti blow a 2-0 lead in the second leg of the matchup. They’ll be a big favorite to come out of Group D and into the knockout stage again.
Group E: Liverpool and Napoli
Last year’s Champions League title winners should have a fairly clear-cut path back to the knockout stages of the competition. I’m picking Napoli, which has a talented roster including young standout Hirving Lozano, to join them there.
Group F: Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund
Group F is the group of death in this year’s competition. Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, and Inter Milan are all Champions League mainstays and competitors in the continent’s biggest leagues. Inter has a revamped roster including Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, and Diego Godin, but I just think Barcelona (read: Leo Messi) and Borussia’s talent is just a step better.
Group G: Lyon and RB Leipzig
The most wide-open group in the tournament this year is Group G. Any of the four teams could realistically advance, but I like a strong and experienced Lyon team to join RB Leipzig, one of the most exciting teams in the Bundesliga, to go on.
Group H: Chelsea and Valencia
Could Ajax really not even make the knockout round of this year’s UCL after going all the way to the semi-finals this year? I think it’s possible, considering how many of their top players left after last year. Chelsea and Valencia look to be the two strongest overall sides in this interesting group.