The group stage for the Champions League is set as the draw was held on Thursday. Here's what the groups look like:
Group A
Liverpool (England)
Porto (Portugal)
Marseille (France)
Besiktas (Turkey)
Group B
Chelsea (England)
Valencia (Spain)
Schalke (Germany)
Rosenborg (Norway)
Group C
Real Madrid (Spain)
Werder Bremen (Germany)
Lazio (Italy)
Olympiakos (Greece)
Group D
AC Milan (Italy)
Benfica (Portugal)
Celtic (Scotland)
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
Group E
Barcelona (Spain)
Lyon (France)
Stuttgart (Germany)
Rangers (Scotland)
Group F
Manchester United (England)
Roma (Italy)
Sporting Lisbon (Portugal)
Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine)
Group G
Inter Milan (Italy)
PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
CSKA Moscow (Russia)
Fenerbahce (Turkey)
Group H
Arsenal (England)
Sevilla/AEK (Spain/Greece)
Steaua Bucharest (Romania)
Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)
At first glance, Group E appears to be the group of death. You've got Barca plus the French dynasty of Lyon, German upstarts Stuttgart and Rangers. There aren't any easy games there for any of the teams.
Group H seems weak and will be weaker if Sevilla doesn't reach the tournament. I suppose that's a good thing for Arsenal supporters.
I still think it's strange not to see Bayern Munich in the tournament. I usually pull for Bayern in the Champions League so I guess I'll have to find another club to support.
5 comments:
I agree, re: Group E; however, Group G also looks to be a free-for-all...
i hope that celtic (celtic rulez) and benfica (our boy freddy) advance
Luis, you & I need to hang out some time. A Bayern & USC supporter?!? Seems we have quite a bit in common, my friend. Alas, I'll be at the Coliseum on Saturday evening, while you'll be at the HDC taking in the last-placed Galaxy. Oh well, at least we'll both be eating bacon-wrapped hot dogs after our respective games. =)
Since I grew up watching and rooting for Dynamo K, and I still somewhat root for any teams from the former Soviet Union, I'll be watching groups D, F, and G with the most interest.
Groups B, C, and E should be the most competitive overall.
And in H, I'll be rooting for Slavia to may be get the 3rd place. Given the current format, it is always exciting to see smaller teams advance. Slavia - St.(Buch) should be a very interesting game.
I sort of miss the old Champions League format, as well as the Cup Winner's Cup. In the 80's, teams other than the same 10-12 teams could advance far into the tournament.
Strange situation for Sevilla (to put it mildly). They could win that group -- or they could still be in shock on Monday and not get in, in which case the Arse could go 6-0-0.
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