These clubs will continue to fight for the “cup from the ears”.
The main European Cup tournament, the Champions League, has begun. There are a number of unexpected first round results, which can have a particularly interesting effect on the group stage results. On Soccer.ru for users contest “Mania”, within which it is possible to guess both the outcome of the individual matches and the final disposition of the group teams. As an author, I have decided to participate and try to predict the results of the group stage.
Group A – Liverpool return
The Merseysiders start the current season poorly for their status. Jurgen Klopp called the match against Napoli (1-4) the worst since he joined the club. However, I don’t really believe in the strong degradation of the English giant: the results do not reflect the true level of player selection, plus injuries have accumulated (Konate, Keita, Henderson, Curtis Jones). Over the longer distance, Liverpool will return to their baseline: if they do so in time, they will have time to jump to the top of their group.
The “Napoli” Spalletti for the second consecutive season starts quite famously. All the “gears” are involved, the new players quickly get used to the team. The Neapolitans have overcome the pressure of Liverpool and have obtained 3 important points, which in the end can be decisive. I would like to put him in sensational first place, but the English grand is a project that has been demonstrated over the years and by Real Madrid, who will hardly miss him.
The class difference between Ajax and Rangers is evident, so this arrangement is not in doubt. At the same time, it is still too early for Amsterdam to compete with Napoli and Liverpool, even if they can take the draw in a separate match.
Group B – Atlético strangles their opponents
“Matress”, like “Liverpool” is absolutely a coaching team. Simeone has been in Madrid for a very long time. Atlético can compete at home with Prime Bayer and Porto. However, the Germans do not keep the ball at their feet. At the stage where you have to exit the Bundesliga basement, Champions League – quite a burden. So even their third place is hard to believe. The Spaniards played their first match against Porto (1: 2), and a separate home game does not have a great impact, except perhaps with equal points or a gap of 1-2 points.
I’d like to believe in a sensation, so Brugge is on the third line of my prediction. The Belgians were lucky that the first meeting with Leverkusen took place at the right time. Now it all depends on the players themselves. Staying afloat and getting a draw in the second leg is the best deal for the team.
Group C – Struggle of the Titans
The “Barcelona” crisis suddenly started spending a lot of money on reinforcements and was able to scrape together for Robert Lewandowski. For the image of the project, this is certainly a plus (let’s leave out the situation with the sale of Aubameyang). Blaugrana wins with great scores and arranges a demonstration whip of Victoria. The main indicator of the level of the Spaniards will be the match against Bayern.
At the same time, it is difficult not to take into account the fact that Monaco and Blue Garnet are at different levels of construction in the forecasts. Bayern Nagelsmann are the same goal machine, but more solid and battle-hardened. When the teams are of comparable level, it is these factors that decide the outcome.
Inter in the background have many more problems, even in the defensive phase. The Nerazzurri should also be satisfied with third place in a group with two giants.
Group D – European test for Conte
Antonio Conte attracts trophies in the national championship, but is not as successful in European competitions: 12 wins in 36 matches since the Italian was at the helm of Juventus. Now Antonio has Tottenham at his disposal and must build a competitive team. In addition, the Spurs bosses have decided to shell out and spent more than 100 million euros. There must be a class win in the group, the other result can be considered unsuccessful.
Three clubs with an approximately equal selection of players will have to fight for 2-3 place, but they believe a little more in Marseille, a team with an attractive concept and a strong start.
Group E – Chelsea without Tuchel
The defeat against the Croatians hurt the vanity of the new bosses of the Blues: the coach Thomas Tuchel showed the way out. The main fight will take place between the Londoners and AC Milan, who have returned to first place in Serie A. It is not yet clear how the mentor’s departure will affect Chelsea, so it is worth the risk and put the Italians first – no changes are expected. on a large scale.
For Zagreb remains the third line and the Europa League playoffs.
Group F – dominant Real Madrid
“Real” in a group with “Leipzig”, “Celtic” and “Shakhtar” – like “Bayern” in the championship of Germany or “Zenith” in RPL. Creamy will have no major problems leaving the group, the main batch will start in single elimination matches.
Pitmen can take advantage of the changes in Leipzig’s training deck and jump to second place – they can cause a stir from time to time. Even if without German the Germans started with a win over Borussia Dortmund, there is no certainty that without Domenico all team ties in Leipzig will be destroyed. Many players have left Shakhtar, so the maximum you should aim for is THE.
Group G – City and others
Here the situation is similar to group F – there is a 100% favorite, a German strong enough for second place, only the crisis of Sevilla Lopetegui is added. In better form, the latter would have competed with Borussia Dortmund, but the red and white have only one victory. If you add to this the coaching resignations, they will become very negative. We risk making another implicit prediction: Copenhagen will find the strength to exploit the problems of the Spanish club. The Danes will outflank the Sevillians.
Group H – reborn PSG
TO PSG has begun to change the way people do business. We stopped buying stars, but decided to balance the existing ones. Christophe Galtier reminded leaders that the team must take precedence over the interests of individuals. Parisians lacked just this step to acquire character. Against the background of the Juventus crisis, where Pogba (an important player in the Allegri system) entered the field immediately injured, the French giant presents himself as the clear leader of the group. The main question is how persistent will the concept of new leaders be? The conclusions can only be drawn from the games of the playoffs, even if reaching the decisive phase from the first place is a solid advantage for the team’s microclimate.
We also bet on a sensation with Benfica in second place: the “old lady” has lost two main central defenders, she cannot count on Pogba. Paul, along with Di Maria, could turn Allegri’s chaotic football into something cuter. Without the Frenchman, Juve can’t even cope with Serie A, giving points to the farmers in the middle. The “Eagles” in 11 official matches have not even played a draw: they have won. We give preference to the Portuguese team, from first impressions it seems much more solid.
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