It’s an often repeated sentiment that the World Cup and the Champions League only really come alive after the group stages. Once the initial excitement subsides, it’s best to wait until the phoney wars are over and the true drama of the knockout stages commences.
This year’s Champions League may be a rare exception though. The tournament draw has produced some heavyweight showdowns and a few teams will know they have to hit the ground running if they are to avoid an early exit. For example, last season’s finalists Tottenham will face Bayern Munich, who won their seventh consecutive Bundesliga title in May. Both teams will be wary of facing Red Star Belgrade, who defeated Liverpool in Serbia last year.
Chelsea also face a tricky challenge, with their young squad facing three clubs whose fortunes have all been rejuvenated in recent years: Ajax, Valencia and Lille.
Goals are likely to be guaranteed when PSG face Real Madrid in Group A. The match between Juventus and Atlético Madrid in Group D will also be fascinating. Diego Simeone has overhauled the Spanish club’s squad this summer and it will be interesting to see how he approaches the match. He will not have forgotten how Ronaldo almost single-handedly knocked the club out of the tournament last year.
Group F holds the greatest appeal to the neutral though. Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund will be looking to use their array of attacking talent to make a statement, while Antonio Conte will be eager to use his tactical nous to show that Inter Milan, boosted by the signings of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, deserve to be considered part of Europe’s elite. Slavia Prague, the fourth team in the group, will have it all to do to avoid being cut adrift.
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