The UEFA Champions League group stage has just kicked off, and here are some predictions for who will move on to the Round of 16.
With the start of the 2023/2024 club season comes the announcement of the 23/24 Champions League groups for the group stage. The groups are based on last year’s league placements and Champions League qualifying rounds- a playoff-style qualifier that fills the remaining 6 spots for the Champions League. The other 26 spots come from league placements.
There are four teams in each group. The two teams with the most points after their games against each other will move on to the Round of 16, and play the two winners from the other 8 groups. The point system gives three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss.
Group A
Group A consists of Bayern Munich from Germany, Manchester United from England, Copenhagen from Denmark, and Galatasaray from Turkey. I think there are two clear winners from this group- Manchester United and Bayern Munich. While Galatasaray and Copenhagen are both well-developed teams, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are much better squads. Bayern Munich hasn’t lost a group-stage game in 35 games, an incredibly impressive record. Bayern won the first game of the group stage against Manchester United 4-3 in a very close thriller game, while Galatasaray and Copenhagen drew 2-2. With the way things stand, Bayern and Manchester United will most likely win the rest of their games, securing their spots in the Round of 16.
Group B
Group B consists of Arsenal from England, Lens from France, Sevilla from Spain, and PSV Eindhoven from the Netherlands. In the first matches of the group stage, Arsenal handily beat PSV Eindhoven 4-0 and Lens and Sevilla drew 1-1. Arsenal will likely top this group, with Sevilla in second. They secured last season’s Europa League trophy (the European competition below the Champions League), and will likely take care of PSV Eindhoven in their match. Lens is currently last in the French Ligue 1 and is severely out of form, and I don’t think that Eindhoven will be able to keep up with Sevilla’s quality. Arsenal and Sevilla will be the two champions of Group B.
Group C
Group C consists of Napoli from Italy, Real Madrid from Spain, Braga from Portugal, and Union Berlin from Germany. In the first matches, Napoli beat Braga 2-1, and Germany beat Union Berlin 1-0. Although Union Berlin has shown much quality throughout their last few seasons since the appointment of manager Urs Fischer, Napoli, and Real Madrid are the clear winners of this group. Real Madrid, the 14-time Champions League champions, will likely top the group, with Napoli close behind them. Napoli, last year’s resounding Serie A champions, will look to build off last season’s success and make their way to the Round of 16.
Group D
Group D consists of Salzburg from Germany, Inter from Italy, Real Sociedad from Spain, and Benfica from Portugal. The first matches saw Salzburg beat Benfica 2-0 and Inter and Real Sociedad tie 1-1. I think Inter and Salzburg will be the ones to move on from the Round of 16. With both teams at the top spot of their league tables, they are both in wonderful form. Inter made it to the finals of the Champions League last season, barely losing the title to Manchester City in a riveting 1-0 match. They will most likely move on to the Round of 16, and both have solid chances of making it even further than that.
Group E
Group E consists of Feyenoord from the Netherlands, Athletico Madrid from Spain, Lazio from Italy, and Celtic from Scotland. The first matches of the competition saw Lazio and Athletico Madrid tie 1-1, with a last-minute goal from Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel. Feyenoord got the better of Celtic with a 2-0 win. I think that Athletico Madrid and Feyenoord will be the two teams to move on to the Round of 16 due to both of the teams’ individual qualities and tactics, and I wouldn’t be surprised if one or both of the teams went to the deeper stages of the competition.
Group F
Group F, dubbed this year’s “Group of Death”, consists of PSG from France, Newcastle from England, AC Milan from Italy, and Dortmund from Germany; all fantastic teams. PSG got the better of Dortmund with a 2-0 victory, and Newcastle and Milan finished in a stalemate; 0-0. I think that PSG will come out on top of this Group of Death, and Newcastle will follow behind them, just due to the fact that the player quality of those two teams is higher than that of Dortmund and AC Milan.
Group G
Group G consists of RB Leipzig from Germany, Manchester City from England, FK Crvena from Serbia, and Young Boys from Switzerland. RB Leipzig handled Young Boys with a 3-1 win, and Manchester City took care of FK Crvena Zvezda with the same scoreline. I think Manchester City will top this group, with Leipzig following close behind them. Manchester City are currently heavy favorites to win the Champions League this year after last year’s victory. They have the 10 most expensive players in Group G, and while that doesn’t necessarily mean the players are better, it shows the difference between Manchester City and the other teams who were unfortunate enough to get the English giants in their group.
Group H
Group H consists of Barcelona from Spain, FC Porto from Portugal, Shakhtar Donetsk from Ukraine, and Royal Antwerp from Belgium. Barcelona made light work of Royal Antwerp with a 5-0 victory, extending their nine-game unbeaten run, while FC Porto beat Shakhtar Donetsk with a score of 3-1. I think that Barcelona is the clear winner of this group, with FC Porto following behind them. Both teams have shown spurts of recent quality and should pass onto the group stage without a challenge from the other two teams in their group. Many consider Barcelona to be title contenders, due to their successful recent signings and success within the Spanish La Liga.
Overall, any team could take home the title or stay in the group stage- nothing is guaranteed after the first matchday of the Champions League. The next matchdays will be on Oct. 3rd and 4th, followed by four more games for each team, extending the group stage to the final day on Dec. 13. Fans throughout the world eagerly await their team’s possible success or failure in qualifying for the Round of 16.
