Champions League 2018-19: WHAT TO EXPECT!
It's back! The midweek football frenzy is returning tonight with more drama, more action and more breathtaking moments promised for sure. The UEFA Champions League theme song will ring on television sets again as it is time for the best club competition in Europe!
This UEFA Champions League will see some real mouthwatering fixtures as the groups are racked up some amazing clubs from all over Europe eyeing a place in the final that's going to take place at the Wanda Metropolitana in June 2019. Let's take a look at the groups and the probable teams to move onto the next round of the Champions League this year:
GROUP A: Atletico Madrid, Dortmund, Club Brugge and Monaco
The first group of this years UEFA Champions League sees Atletico Madrid lock horns with some really fast-paced teams in the likes of Dortmund, Monaco and Club Brugge. While it might be difficult for Club Brugge to get anything out of their away games against these "dark horses" of the Champions League, they might try and get something from the home games. Atletico Madrid, Dortmund and Monaco will fight it out for the Top 2 spots in some high-intensity games.
PREDICTION:
1. ATLETICO MADRID
2. MONACO
GROUP B: BARCELONA, INTER MILAN, PSV, TOTTENHAM
This group is probably the group of death of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League with some brilliantly tactical teams lined up in the group. PSV has been in some high scoring form since the start of the season in the Dutch Eredivisie, Tottenham put aside Manchester United ruthlessly at the Olde Trafford and have had a couple of setbacks hence, but the tactician Pochettino will surely have some tricks up his sleeve against these big guns. Barcelona looks to make the Champions League theirs this time with Phillipe Coutinho finally getting his chance and a brilliant signing of Arturo Vidal from Bayern Munich.
PREDICTION:
1. BARCELONA
2. INTER
GROUP C: RED STAR BELGRADE, LIVERPOOL, NAPOLI, PSG
Group C sees Red Star Belgrade end their 26-year wait for European football and they seem to be determined and prepared to make the most out of it but are put up against some big guns in Liverpool, Napoli and PSG and have their task cut out. Liverpool and PSG on the other hands with some big names look obvious winners of the group on paper, but Napoli is sure to give these big sides a couple of hiccups or more.
PREDICTION:
1. PSG
2. LIVERPOOL
GROUP D: GALATASARAY, LOKOMOTIV MOSCOW, PORTO, SCHALKE
Group D sees a rather unusual set of teams lined up together but will be a sigh of relief for the clubs as they managed to keep aside the big guns in the group stages increasing their chances of progressing to the next stage of the UEFA Champions League. While Galatasaray and Lokomotiv will give it tooth and nail to progress, Porto and Schalke will have to stick to their roots and focus on doing things right and that should see them through.
PREDICTION:
1. SCHALKE
2. PORTO
GROUP E: AEK ATHENS, AJAX, BAYERN, SL BENFICA
Let's put it out there, Bayern would be the happiest of the big guns when they saw this draw come out. Sure there's no taking away the immense talent that Ajax and Benfica have. But Bayern is just too strong for the teams in the frame. That being said, some of the players to watch out for will be Frenkie De Jong and the boys at Ajax as they can cause some problems for the Bavarians.
PREDICTION:
1. BAYERN
2. AJAX
GROUP F: HOFFENHEIM, MANCHESTER CITY, LYON, SHAKHTAR DONETSK
Well, let's just say there's a new love story in the UEFA Champions League brewing up between Manchester City and Shakhtar Donetsk. The boys from Ukraine though will want to have a better say than last meetings between the two. Hoffenheim would have probably wanted some lesser star-studded teams to face on their entry into the Champions League but Julian Nagelsmann's boys look prepared for the roughest of tides. Lyon, on the other hand, seems favourites to progress along with Manchester City.
PREDICTION:
1. MANCHESTER CITY
2. LYON
GROUP G: CSKA MOSCOW, REAL MADRID, ROMA, PLZEN
13-time winners, Real Madrid are fitted in a group they wouldn't mind as they look to make it 4 out of 4 this year. They might have lost Cristiano Ronaldo but as Gareth Bale suggested that they look more of a team now, they will be rearing to go out and defend the title from the word go. Roma will be on their backs looking to cause some problems in the game against them, while Plzen and Moscow probably can't do too much against the firepower that Roma and Madrid possess.
PREDICTION:
1. REAL MADRID
2. ROMA
GROUP H: JUVENTUS, MANCHESTER UNITED, VALENCIA, YOUNG BOYS
This is the most unscripted and unexplained group of this year's Champions League. What will happen, we don't know yet. But we know one thing for sure, it's homecoming time for Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba on the opposite sides of what promises to be a mouth-watering encounter! Valencia, on the other hand, is promising to cause some serious dents in the race for the winners of the group as they have some sheer team talent as we've seen them perform against top sides in the La Liga.
PREDICTION:
1. JUVENTUS
2. VALENCIA