Champions League Group Stage Draw

[SoxFanInCali]

Pot 1 Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Zenit St Petersburg.
Pot 2 Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Shakhtar Donetsk, Tottenham, Ajax, Benfica.
Pot 3 Lyon, Bayer Leverkusen, RB Salzburg, Olympiakos, Club Brugge, Valencia, Internazionale, Dinamo Zagreb.
Pot 4 Lokomotiv Moscow, Genk, Galatasaray, RB Leipzig, Slavia Prague, Red Star Belgrade, Atalanta, Lille.

Of course UEFA are going to stretch this 5 minute process out as long as possible.

 

[OCST]

someone with better knowledge of European football than me - who are the Pot 3/4 teams that could make a Group of Death?

 

[SoxFanInCali]

“As flies to wanton boys, we are for the Gods. They kill us for the sport. Soon the science will not only be able to throw down the ageing of the cells, the science will fix the cells to the state, and so we’ll become ... only accidents, crimes, wars will still kill us. But unfortunately, crimes and wars will multiply. I love football. Thank you.”

- Cantona's speech after being given the UEFA President's Award.

He also looked like he woke up and spent 15 seconds getting ready for the ceremony.

 

[DJnVa]

Watch here:
https://live.bleacherreport.com/soccer/soccer-tournament/events/bleacher-report/74585?utm_source=app&utm_medium=bleacher&utm_campaign=app-bleacher-UEFA-Champions-League-74585

 

[teddykgb]

Man United legends Cantona and Sneijder (he signed there every summer for nearly a decade)really brought a lot to the festivities.

In terms of Pot 3/4, I wouldn’t want to play Leverkeusen and few seem to want to deal with Contes Inter. Lyon was good but sold a lot, their reputation may precede their actual talent. Leipzig would be an unusually tough pot 4 team

 

[SoxFanInCali]

someone with better knowledge of European football than me - who are the Pot 3/4 teams that could make a Group of Death?

I'd prefer avoiding Inter and maybe Valencia from Pot 3 and Leipzig in Pot 4, but a bunch of the Pot 3 teams could be tough on their day. Trips to Turkey or Russia are best avoided just for the longer travel, as well.

 

[InstaFace]

someone with better knowledge of European football than me - who are the Pot 3/4 teams that could make a Group of Death?

My take would be, Leverkusen, Inter, Leipzig, Genk, maybe Lille. Several have shitty club coefficients (which only accounts for european performance), but were steamrollers in their domestic season. Leipzig had a GD very close to Dortmund last year. Lille absolutely stomped PSG 5-1 in their second meeting last year. Atalanta was a stronger domestic team than Inter last year but the transfer season favored the deeper-pocketed club.

 

[DJnVa]

Zenit to Group G.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Group A Paris Saint-Germain
Group B Bayern Munich
Group C Manchester City
Group D Juventus
Group E Liverpool
Group F Barcelona
Group G Zenit St. Petersburg
Group H Chelsea

 

[DJnVa]

Ugh, Spurs get Bayern.

 

[DJnVa]

Ajax into H with Chelsea.

 

[DJnVa]

Group G blows. Benfica and Zenit.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

PSG and Real can try to out-Galactico each other.

 

[tmracht]

Leipzig in Pot 4 would be a bad draw for most teams. Lille isn't a cakewalk with Remy and Fonte.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Liverpool and Napoli again.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Barca, Dortmund, and Inter together.

 

[DJnVa]

Group F--Barca, Dortmund, Inter

 

[teddykgb]

Barca, Dortmund, and Inter together.

Would have been a good semi final not too long ago. Shame that Inter didn't draw that Chelsea group.

 

[teddykgb]

Group H needs to be renamed "The Europa League"

edit: with City making trips to Shakhtar and Dinamo maybe i should rethink this. (not a complaint, it's a ridiculously easy draw)

 

[SoxFanInCali]

City got a couple of really tough draws when they first got into the CL, but they've been making up for it since.

 

[DJnVa]

City got a couple of really tough draws when they first got into the CL, but they've been making up for it since.

The U23s can win that group.

Spurs get Olympiacos.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Kinda funny that with Liverpool's emphasis on attacking football that the 2 awards they picked up today were for best goalkeeper and best defender.

 

[teddykgb]

City got a couple of really tough draws when they first got into the CL, but they've been making up for it since.

The older "coefficients are everything" system forced City into Pots 3 and 4 and that ended up creating groups of death unless the draw broke favorably. Now that Champions go right into Pot 1 it's certainly helped along with some really good luck in the draw as well.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

The older "coefficients are everything" system forced City into Pots 3 and 4 and that ended up creating groups of death unless the draw broke favorably. Now that Champions go right into Pot 1 it's certainly helped along with some really good luck in the draw as well.

Yup, Liverpool were in Pot 3 last year even after making the final the year before because of missing Europe entirely for a couple of years. Definitely rewards consistency.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

I'll take that Liverpool group.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Group A Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray.
Group B Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspur, Olympiacos, Red Star Belgrade.
Group C Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb, Atalanta.
Group D Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lokomotiv Moskva.
Group E Liverpool, Napoli, Salzburg, Genk.
Group F Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Internazionale, Slavia Praha.
Group G Zenit St. Petersburg, Benfica, Lyon, RB Leipzig.
Group H Chelsea, Ajax, Valencia, Lille.

 

[DJnVa]

Spurs
Bayern
Olympiacos
Red Star Belgrade

Manageable.

 

[InstaFace]

Olympiacos is no patsy (just ask Arsenal!) but a group of Bayern/Spurs/Olym./Belgrade is a pretty favorable group for Spurs.

City pretty much gets a bye to R16. Sorry, Premier League, you're getting the fully operational battle station week-in-week-out.

Liverpool, SFIC notwithstanding, I think easily got the toughest group among the English teams. I'll take Chelsea's Ajax/Valencia/Lille over Pool's Napoli/Salzburg/Genk.

Group F is definitely the group of death. Barca/Dortmund/Inter with 1 of them not making the knockouts and its pile of cash? Ouch. Put any of those 3 in Group G (Zenit/Benfica/Lyon/Leipzig) and they win it easily. On the other hand, I could see any of Group G's teams finishing 1st or 4th, so that'll at least be fun to watch.

 

[teddykgb]

D and F seem most likely to claim a true big contender. Group A may prove more interesting than you might expect

From a City perspective, another trip to the Ukraine is a bummer for the fans, I won’t be surprised if the away allocation isn’t filled. On the other hand, they’ll sell out Atalanta at the San Siro in probably minutes

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Group F is tough, D is as well although Juve and Atletico are clear favorites.
Any 2 of the 4 teams could come out of G.
Decent draw for Liverpool, could have been easier but should be manageable.
City can put out their Carabao Cup lineup and win their group.
H should have some interesting matchups with both Chelsea and Ajax in transition.

 

[Dummy Hoy]

Surprised no one mentioned Atalanta as a pot 3/4 team that could do some damage.

 

[Kliq]

Spurs got off pretty easy, which was needed after last year's Barca/Inter/PSV draw. Bayern would actually be my third choice out of the Pot A teams, behind only Zenit and Chelsea. If the task is to just be better than Olympiacos and the Zagreb club, that isn't too tall of a mountain to climb.

 

[bosox4283]

For Atleti, I was hoping to avoid Liverpool and City, and I consider Juventus to be one rung below these two teams. Leverkusen is certainly a challenging match, which means Atletico cannot squander points against Lokomotiv. Not a great group and not a horrible group, so I'll take it.

 

[Vinho Tinto]

He also looked like he woke up and spent 15 seconds getting ready for the ceremony.

I was wondering why the president of my local Lusitano club was getting a trophy.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Messi must have really enjoyed the interviewer asking VVD about Liverpool's semifinal comeback right in front of him.

And Virgil wins the men's Player of the Year award. Nice.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

And for those that missed it, I give you Eric Cantona.

View: https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1167108949314875392


Check out the look Ronaldo gives him.

 

[pedro1918]

Messi must have really enjoyed the interviewer asking VVD about Liverpool's semifinal comeback right in front of him.

And Virgil wins the men's Player of the Year award. Nice.

I enjoyed it when the interviewer said something along the lines of hopefully he (Leo) doesn't understand much English.

 

[Kliq]

I enjoyed it when the interviewer said something along the lines of hopefully he (Leo) doesn't understand much English.

Messi understands English but does not speak great English. I'm always impressed with how well most soccer players speak English; and it isn't just the German guys or the Scandanavian players, a lot of the South American, African and southern European players speak really good English too. After seeing so many baseball players struggle with English despite living/playing in America for years and years, it is really impressive to see how well those guys speak the language.

 

[pedro1918]

Messi understands English but does not speak great English. I'm always impressed with how well most soccer players speak English; and it isn't just the German guys or the Scandanavian players, a lot of the South American, African and southern European players speak really good English too. After seeing so many baseball players struggle with English despite living/playing in America for years and years, it is really impressive to see how well those guys speak the language.

Yes. That's why I enjoyed it so much. It was a stupid thing for the interviewer to say. It was also clear that Messi knew what was being discussed.

 

[Vinho Tinto]

Messi understands English but does not speak great English. I'm always impressed with how well most soccer players speak English; and it isn't just the German guys or the Scandanavian players, a lot of the South American, African and southern European players speak really good English too. After seeing so many baseball players struggle with English despite living/playing in America for years and years, it is really impressive to see how well those guys speak the language.

In Portugal, English is the most common second language taught in schools. It's also prevalent in a majority of the pop culture people are exposed to. That's why many public spaces will have English language signage.

 

[InstaFace]

it must burn the French every time they see the term "lingua franca" applied to another language.

 

[Ale Xander]

As a Chelsea/Roman fan, I am not happy with the draw. Although part of seeing Lille is just Hazard withdrawal. I think we're gonna lose to Ajax.

 

[Spacemans Bong]

In Portugal, English is the most common second language taught in schools. It's also prevalent in a majority of the pop culture people are exposed to. That's why many public spaces will have English language signage.

That and all the limeys on ‘oliday.

 

[thehitcat]

And for those that missed it, I give you Eric Cantona.

View: https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1167108949314875392


Check out the look Ronaldo gives him.

That is incredible. I can't stop watching it

 

[Vinho Tinto]

That and all the limeys on ‘oliday.

They don't tend to venture beyond Lisbon and the Algarve. Maybe Sintra to check out the castle.

 

[pedro1918]

Schedule!

Matchday one

Tuesday 17 September
Group E: Napoli v Liverpool, Salzburg v Genk
Group F: Inter v Slavia Praha (18:55 CET), Dortmund v Barcelona
Group G: Lyon v Zenit (18:55 CET), Benfica v Leipzig
Group H: Chelsea v Valencia, Ajax v LOSC Lille

Wednesday 18 September
Group A: Club Brugge v Galatasaray (18:55 CET), Paris v Real Madrid
Group B: Olympiacos v Tottenham (18:55 CET), Bayern v Crvena zvezda
Group C: Shakhtar v Manchester City, Dinamo Zagreb v Atalanta
Group D: Atlético v Juventus, Leverkusen v Lokomotiv Moskva

Matchday two

Tuesday 1 October
Group A: Real Madrid v Club Brugge (18:55 CET), Galatasaray v Paris
Group B: Tottenham v Bayern, Crvena zvezda v Olympiacos
Group C: Atalanta v Shakhtar (18:55 CET), Manchester City v Dinamo Zagreb
Group D: Juventus v Leverkusen, Lokomotiv Moskva v Atlético

Wednesday 2 October
Group E: Genk v Napoli (18:55 CET), Liverpool v Salzburg
Group F: Slavia Praha v Dortmund (18:55 CET), Barcelona v Inter
Group G: Zenit v Benfica, Leipzig v Lyon
Group H: Valencia v Ajax, LOSC Lille v Chelsea

Matchday three

Tuesday 22 October
Group A: Club Brugge v Paris, Galatasaray v Real Madrid
Group B: Tottenham v Crvena zvezda, Olympiacos v Bayern
Group C: Shakhtar v Dinamo Zagreb (18:55 CET), Manchester City v Atalanta
Group D: Atlético v Leverkusen (18:55 CET), Juventus v Lokomotiv Moskva

Wednesday 23 October
Group E: Salzburg v Napoli, Genk v Liverpool
Group F: Inter v Dortmund, Slavia Praha v Barcelona
Group G: Leipzig v Zenit (18:55 CET), Benfica v Lyon
Group H: Ajax v Chelsea (18:55 CET), LOSC Lille v Valencia

Matchday four

Tuesday 5 November
Group E: Liverpool v Genk, Napoli v Salzburg
Group F: Barcelona v Slavia Praha (18:55 CET), Dortmund v Inter
Group G: Zenit v Leipzig (18:55 CET), Lyon v Benfica
Group H: Chelsea v Ajax, Valencia v LOSC Lille

Wednesday 6 November
Group A: Paris v Club Brugge, Real Madrid v Galatasaray
Group B: Bayern v Olympiacos (18:55 CET), Crvena zvezda v Tottenham
Group C: Dinamo Zagreb v Shakhtar, Atalanta v Manchester City
Group D: Lokomotiv Moskva v Juventus (18:55 CET), Leverkusen v Atlético

Matchday five

Tuesday 26 November
Group A: Galatasaray v Club Brugge (18:55 CET), Real Madrid v Paris
Group B: Tottenham v Olympiacos, Crvena zvezda v Bayern
Group C: Manchester City v Shakhtar, Atalanta v Dinamo Zagreb
Group D: Lokomotiv Moskva v Leverkusen (18:55 CET), Juventus v Atlético

Wednesday 27 November
Group E: Liverpool v Napoli, Genk v Salzburg
Group F: Barcelona v Dortmund, Slavia Praha v Inter
Group G: Zenit v Lyon (18:55 CET), Leipzig v Benfica
Group H: Valencia v Chelsea (18:55 CET), LOSC Lille v Ajax

Matchday six

Tuesday 10 December
Group E: Napoli v Genk (18:55 CET), Salzburg v Liverpool (18:55 CET)
Group F: Dortmund v Slavia Praha, Inter v Barcelona
Group G: Benfica v Zenit, Lyon v Leipzig
Group H: Chelsea v LOSC Lille, Ajax v Valencia

Wednesday 11 December
Group A: Paris v Galatasaray, Club Brugge v Real Madrid
Group B: Bayern v Tottenham, Olympiacos v Crvena zvezda
Group C: Shakhtar v Atalanta (18:55 CET), Dinamo Zagreb v Manchester City (18:55 CET)
Group D: Atlético v Lokomotiv Moskva, Leverkusen v Juventus

 

[PedroSpecialK]

Thanks - meetings have been moved around for those days and conference rooms booked