John Terry gives honest verdict on Chelsea's 2022-23 UEFA Champions League group stage draw
John Terry has given his honest verdict on Chelsea's UEFA Champions League group stage draw. The former club captain is seemingly happy with the outcome of the draw and believes things could have been worse.
Chelsea were in Pot 2 of the draw and have been drawn alongside Serie A champions AC Milan, Red Bull Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb in Group E.
John Terry, who won the Champions League with the Blues back in 2012, took to Twitter to give his opinion on the draw. He tweeted the following:
"It could have been a lot worse. @ChampionsLeague @ChelseaFC. Are you happy with our group?"
John Terry's words do make sense in the grand scheme of things. The Blues have avoided some European giants like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Chelsea have been handed a favorable group and will be expected to qualify for the knockout rounds. AC Milan will be the Blues' closest rivals in the group. The reigning Serie A champions have started the season in fine form and picked up a 4-2 win over Udinese in their opening game of the new season. They then picked up a 1-1 draw against Atalanta.
It is worth mentioning that AC Milan have a couple of ex-Blues players in their current squad. Both Olivier Giroud and Fikayo Tomori are set to face their former clubs in the group stage this season.
Red Bull Salzburg, on the other hand, could also trouble Thomas Tuchel's side. The Austrian giants managed to reach the Round of 16 last time around. However, they were comprehensively beaten by Bayern Munich.
The Blues have been successful in the Champions League under the management of Thomas Tuchel. The German tactician guided Chelsea to the Champions League title back in 2020, beating Manchester City 1-0 in the final.
Last season, the West London side were eliminated by eventual winners Real Madrid in a closely-fought contest. Los Blancos edged out the Blues 5-4 on aggregate with Karim Benzema scoring in extra-time to end the title defense.
Chelsea take on Leicester City in the Premier League
For the time being, the Blues will be focused on the Premier League. They will take on Leicester City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, 27 August.
Thomas Tuchel's side will want to return to winning ways against the Foxes. They suffered a shock 3-0 defeat at the hands of Leeds United last weekend in a game which saw goalkeeper Edouard Mendy cost his side the match.