Champions League group stage preview

GROUP A
Atletico Madrid: Having come within minutes of a first ever European Cup in May, Atletico will be hard pressed to get so close this time around, although there is enough about Diego Simeone's team to suggest that they will get to the business end of the tournament again. They have inevitably lost a fey key men from their unlikely La Liga triumph, but have bought wisely in Jan Oblak, Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic. As well as being a talented side, Atletico have a tremendous team spirit and should enjoy another good season in Europe.

Having come within minutes of a first ever Champions League triumph in May, Atletico Madrid will be hard pushed to get so close again to lifting the trophy, although there is no reason that Diego Simeone’s side cannot push for the latter stages again. While there has inevitably been a fire sale involving quite a few of the squad that won La Liga in 2013/14, Atletico have picked up Mario Mandzukic, Jan Oblak and Antoine Griezmann, among others, over the summer. Also, Simeone is a charismatic manager who can mould a group of players into more than the sum of its parts, as evidenced by the indefatiguable manner in which they overcame an injury setback and going a goal behind in their concluding league game against Barcelona to get the draw that they needed to win the title. The quarter-finals are within reach again for Atletico. - See more at: http://tbrfootball.com/best-rest-tbr-analyses-champions-league-groups-c-f-h/#sthash.6VXb6dYQ.dpuf

Juventus: Despite being head and shoulders the top club in Italian football, Juventus can never seem to translate that into success on the continent. Last season was typical in that they dropped just 12 points en route to a routine league title, but crashed out of the Champions League in the group stage. They have also lost inspirational manager Antonio Conte, although Massimiliano Allegri is a decent replacement for the new Italy coach. The experience of Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez will be vital as they seek to qualify for the last 16 at the very least.
Malmo: The Swedish champions are one of just two teams making their group stage debut this week and will predictably start as rank outsiders even to avoid finishing bottom. They will take great heart, though, from the manner in which they retrieved a seemingly lost situation against Red Bull Salzburg in the play-offs to take their place among the elite. They have a wily coach in Aage Hareide, but when their man man is ex-West Brom reject Markus Rosenberg, that illustrates the size of the task awaiting them in this group.
Olympiakos: Had the Greek champions not blown a 2-0 first leg lead against Man United in last season's round of 16, David Moyes could well have been given his P45 a bit sooner. With domestic titles a formality, Olympiakos now measure success or failure depending on how their perform in the Champions League. Kostas Mitroglou has returned from Fulham to a club where he made his reputation and he will be expected to find form as Michel's men vie for second place with Juventus. It's within reach, although the Italians might edge them down into a Europa League spot.
Prediction: 1st Atletico, 2nd Juventus, 3rd Olympiakos, 4th Malmo

GROUP B
FC Basel: The Swiss side have a happy knack of getting unexpected wins over English clubs and will indeed be up against Premier League opposition once again. Indeed they edged out Liverpool for a place in the last 16 in their debut Champions League appearance in 2002/03, so they will certainly not fear the Reds. Basel have been stripped of prize assets over the summer, losing Yann Sommer and Valentin Stocker, although they have been able to remain competitive despite selling star players in recent years. They will be confident of beating Liverpool to a place in the knockout rounds again, although the English club are unlikely to take them so lightly this time.
Liverpool: The Reds return to the group stage after a five-year absence and while they are in a challenging group, they could also have been handed a far tougher draw. Brendan Rodgers' side are well known for their prowess in attack, even though Luis Suarez has left for Barcelona, and they have a real trump card in Mario Balotelli, who won this competititon with Inter Milan in 2010. The Merseysiders are suspect defensively, though, and have made an unconvincing start to this season. They will most likely be locked in a frenetic battle for second with Basel, one which they should win if they can get the better of their two fixtures against the Swiss champions.
Ludogorets Razgrad: The fairytale story of the European club season thus far. They were founded as recently as 2001 and only made their first top flight appearance three years ago, but Ludogorets have been Bulgarian champions every season since and they reached the final 16 of last year's Europa League. They dramatically secured qualification after beating Steaua Bucharest on penalties in the play-offs after having their goalkeeper sent off, with defender Cosmin Moti taking the gloves and saving twice in the shoot-out. They are capable of landing a couple more surprise results and will savour every minute of action in the Champions League group stage.
Real Madrid: With La Decima finally secured against city rivals Atletico in May, it's Real Madrid's turn to try and bring an end to a 24-year run of defending champions falling short of the two in a row. Their stellar line-up of galacticos (Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos et al) was further enhanced by the summer arrivals of James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos and so strong is their squad that Carlo Ancelotti could afford to offload the outstanding Angel di Maria and Xabi Alonso. Despite losing two of their opening three league games, the club from the Bernabeu can fully expect to be in contention for an 11th European Cup.
Prediction: 1st Real Madrid, 2nd Liverpool, 3rd Basel, 4th Ludogorets

GROUP C
AS Monaco: Few clubs have tasted such polarised ups and downs as Monaco in the last 10 years. From Champions League finalists in 2004 to nearly being relegated from Ligue 2 eight years later, second place upon their top flight return last year to an awful start to this campaign, life is rarely dull in the principality. They will be hard pushed to overcome the losses of Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez, with little star quality outside of the Colombian duo. Recent history suggests they will either take the group by storm or flop miserably; my money would be on Option B.
Bayer Leverkusen: They may have been subjected to a 5-0 home defeat by a Man United team which endured its worst season in a generation, but the Germans still made it to the knockout stages in 2013/14 and look a good bet to do so again. Despite losing Emre Can to Liverpool, the club from the Ruhr still possess a considerable attacking threat, with Stephan Kiessling, Son Heung-min and new arrival Josip Drmic all potent options in the final third. Coach Roger Schmidt is a fan of enterprising football and looks a good fit for Leverkusen, who I think will belie their presence among the third seeds for the group stage draw.
Benfica: The Portuguese champions will have plenty of ghosts to exorcise in continental competition after heartbreaking defeats in the last two Europa League finals and the summer has not been kind to the Eagles. Jan Oblak, Lazar Markovic, Ezequiel Garay and Rodrigo Moreno have all left the Estadio da Luz, so the heat is on those who remain to produce the goods. They may have been classified as top seeds but Benfica could have a fight on their hands just to get out of the group.
Zenit St Petersburg: Having first qualified for the group stage six years ago, Zenit are now Champions League mainstays. They have begun the season in confident fashion under Andre Villas Boas, who is rebuilding his reputation after a difficult time in England, and summer signing Ezequiel Garay will have a quick reunion with former club Benfica. They are strong in midfield but have a worrying reliance for goals on Brazil striker Hulk, who was dismal at the World Cup. He will need to put that tournament behind him quickly if Zenit are to make it to the last 16.
Prediction: 1st Leverkusen, 2nd Benfica, 3rd Zenit, 4th Monaco

GROUP D
Anderlecht: The Belgian champions are regular qualifiers for this competition, but not since reaching the last 16 in 2001 have they remotely looked like making any sort of impact. They usually lose their crown jewels to bigger European clubs and are left to constantly unearth riches for others to prise away, although they have at least held on to 17-year-old prodigy Youri Tielemans for this campaign. He has shown huge promise in his fleeting career thus far, but Anderlecht must be careful not to place too much pressure on his shoulders. The harsh truth for the club from Brussels is that they have little star quality elsewhere and could be cannon fodder for their more illustrious group opponents, just as they have been all too often in recent years.
Arsenal: This will be Arsenal's 17th consecutive season in the group stage, a sequence bettered only by Real Madrid. Their record for getting past the first hurdle is also remarkably consistent, having got to the last 16 every year since 2001. However, they have only a runners-up finish and a semi-final to show for it in that time, with the Gunners often undone by Europe's big boys in the early knockout stages. The signing of Alexis Sanchez should help to go some way to turning Arsenal into at least outside contenders for the trophy, although they haven't made a very convincing start to this season and still look vulnerable to being outclassed by a superior team. They should maintain tradition by emerging from the group, but getting any further could depend on a kind draw.
Borussia Dortmund: The 2013 runners-up will have to make do without Robert Lewandowski this season after he moved to Bayern Munich, but otherwise Jurgen Klopp still has most of the side that got to that Wembley final. They might not have a natural born goalscorer in the mould of the Polish striker, but new arrivals Ciro Immobile and Ji Dong-won could make match-winning contributions, while the returning Shinji Kagawa has the chance to resurrect his career after a disappointing stint at Man United. The charismatic Klopp has a well-balanced team at his disposal and is a fantastic motivator, so Dortmund can certainly aim for a third consecutive appearance in the quarter-finals.
Galatasaray: One Italian coach has replaced another at the Istanbul club in the off-season, with the combustible Roberto Mancini making way for the placid Cesare Prandelli. Galatasaray caused a surprise last season when pipping Juventus to a place in the last 16, where they found Chelsea too tough a nut to crack. There is no shortage of experience in the squad, which includes former Champions League winners Wesley Sneijder and Goran Pandev, although the goals of Burak Yilmaz will be key to their prospects of emerging from the group stage once more. They might pull off the odd scalp, but over the course of six games they will probably fall short of the knockout stages.
Prediction: 1st Dortmund, 2nd Arsenal, 3rd Galatasaray, 4th Anderlecht

GROUP E
AS Roma: The Italians return to the Champions League after a four-year absence, having gradually rebuilt prior to a top two finish in Serie A last term. Coach Rudi Garcia has an excellent squad to call upon, including club icon Francesco Totti, former Premier League players Ashley Cole and Gervinho, local hero Daniele de Rossi and the gifted Miralem Pjanic. In most other groups they would be a good bet to qualify for the last 16, but they have been unfortunate to land the champions of Germany and England. The giallorossi are good enough to land a punch on anyone in this group; whether they can provide a knockout blow is the burning question.
Bayern Munich: After losing their title in depressing fashion to Real Madrid in last year's semi-finals, Bayern will again aim to climb the winners' pedestal on 2014/15. Josep Guardiola has been busy in the transfer market in an attempt to return to the summit, bringing in Robert Lewandowski, Xabi Alonso, Pepe Reina and Mehdi Benatia. They will face some early tests in what promises to be a tightly-contested group, but look stronger than their rivals and should be pushing to win back the European crown that they claimed at Wembley in 2013.
CSKA Moscow: It's a sense of 'not again' for CSKA after they were drawn into the same group as Bayern Munich and Man City for the second year in a row. They were repeatedly outclassed by both of those teams last season and they will also have to contend with a Roma side on the up. Some of their key players, such as captain Igor Akinfeev and playmaker Alan Dzagoev, returned to club action with jeers from their own supporters after Russia's dismal World Cup, although Nigerian striker Ahmed Musa did impress in Brazil. CSKA found the going tough last time around and could be in for another difficult, and brief, European campaign.
Manchester City: The Premier League winners managed to get into the knockout rounds at the third time of asking last season, only to come up against Barcelona in the last 16. They weren't disgraced by the Catalans, though, and did beat Bayern Munich in Germany in the group stage, where they picked up five wins out of six. However, they weren't able to splash the cash in the summer due to the pressures of Financial Fair Play, even if they do already have a squad that is the envy of most of Europe. They have again been drawn into a tricky group, but they have the talent and experience necessary to qualify for the knockout stage again and will see a pre-quarter-final exit as a disappointment.
Prediction: 1st Bayern, 2nd Man City, 3rd Roma, 4th CSKA

GROUP F
AFC Ajax: Once a name that struck fear into opponents across Europe, Ajax in the 21st century seem to be little more than a feeder club for the continent's elite. Frank de Boer will have a stiff job on his hands to try and mastermind a passage to the knockout rounds and while his preference for 4-3-3 may evoke memories of the Amsterdam club's golden years, the players don't have the same aura. Even if danger man Kolbeinn Sigthorsson gets firing, Ajax would do well just to challenge for second place in the group.
APOEL Nicosia: On their last appearance in this tournament three seasons ago, APOEL sensationally reached the quarter-finals before being outclassed by Real Madrid. They did benefit from a relatively charitable group stage draw that year, however, something they don't have this time around. Interestingly the Cypriots have the only Irish player in this season's Champions League, striker Cillian Sheridan, a scorer in their play-off romp over AaB Aalborg. They will attempt to summon the underdog spirit of 2011/12 and take the scalp of a more illustrious opponent, but another march to the last eight would be most unlikely.
Barcelona: It wasn't just Real Madrid spending big in Spain this summer. Barca also got the chequebook out to bring in Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Claudio Bravo, Thomas Vermaelen and Jeremy Mathieu. The impending strike trio of Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar promises to be mercilessly destructive for opposing teams and the other signings give the four-time European champions some welcome squad depth. Although Suarez will be suspended for the first three group games and this will be new territory for inexperienced coach Luis Enrique, Barca could be a joy to watch this season and will come through this group easily.
Paris Saint Germain: Quarter-finalists in the last two seasons, PSG will hope to emulate Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid by graduating from decent outside bets to genuine tournament contenders. While their powerbrokers must have been smoking the funny fags when they decided to spend €50million on David Luiz, they have a very strong first XI and, even in the final stages of his career, Zlatan Ibrahimovic can still produce the spectacular. They have kept the bulk of last season's title-winning squad and look set to cruise into the last 16 along with Barcelona.
Prediction: 1st Barcelona, 2nd PSG, 3rd Ajax, 4th APOEL

GROUP G
Chelsea: If the opening month of the Premier League is anything to go by, Chelsea will most likely be England's strongest European representatives yet again, having played in continental semi-finals in each of the last three seasons. Diego Costa has been an instant success at Stamford Bridge, Loic Remy could prove to be a bargain addition and the return of Didier Drogba will evoke memories of that glorious night in Munich in 2012. It's all a far cry from last season when they lacked a killer goalscorer, even if their defence has been surprisingly porous in the early weeks of this season. Jose Mourinho usually gets the balance right, however, and I wouldn't discount him winning a third Champions League title in charge of a third different club. They should certainly go close.
Maribor: The Slovenians made it back to the group stage after a 15-year absence following a famous victory away to Celtic, one which they celebrated as if it was the Champions League final itself. They proved themselves worthy of a place at the top table, though, and they also have the experience of recent Europa League campaigns to call upon. Brazilian striker Marcos Tavares is the main goal threat in a team that is workmanlike but will find out a lot about themselves in this exciting new territory. They are certainly capable of picking up a win or two, but Maribor will most likely end up bottom of the group.
Schalke 04: The Gelsenkirchen-based side were torn to shreds by Real Madrid in the second round of last year's competition, leaving them with a score to settle as they prepare for this season's campaign. Jens Keller's team go into the group stage in terrible form, though, lying third from bottom in the Bundesliga on the back of a 4-1 thumping by Monchengladbach. They tend to save their best performances for Europe, though, and they can call upon a quality goal-poacher in Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and a hugely exciting midfield talent in Julian Draxler, a member of Germany's World Cup-winning squad. I think they can turn around their poor start to the season and qualify for the last 16 once more.
Sporting Lisbon: With Benfica, Porto and even Braga playing the leading roles in Portuguese football in recent years, Sporting have had to bide their time and take a few hits in a rebuilding process that is coming to fruition now. A second-place finish in last year's league secured automatic qualification for the group stage and, unusually, they enjoyed a summer where their most coveted assets weren't seized by others. William Carvalho was widely touted to leave the Estadio Alvalade, but he has stayed in Lisbon for the time being, while former Sporting wonderkid Nani has returned to the club where he made his name. They will aim for second, but the superior experience of Schalke could see them miss out to the Germans.
Prediction: 1st Chelsea, 2nd Schalke, 3rd Sporting, 4th Maribor

GROUP H
Athletic Bilbao: Keen observers of Spanish football will have long admired Athletic Bilbao's exciting style of play and, after getting the better of Napoli in the play-offs, they are in the group stage for the first time in 16 years. While they lost a key player in Ander Herrera to Man United this summer, youngsters such as Iker Muniain and Unai Lopez offer plenty of hope that they can fill the void. Bilbao have also proven their worth on the continent, reaching the Europa League final in 2012, and should fare much better than Basque rivals Real Sociedad, who marked their long-awaited group stage return last year with a miserable showing.
BATE Borisov: Here's some trivia that will probably be forgotten by many - in Bayern Munich's Champions League-winning season in 2012/13, they suffered a shock defeat in the group stage to BATE Borisov from Belarus. As well as the German giants, they have also come up against Juventus, Real Madrid, Barcelona and AC Milan in their three previous group appearances, so they are used to coming up against Europe's big names, although BATE haven't managed to land a famous win over any of them. Striker Vitali Rodionov and midfielder Aleksandr Volodko will pull the strings for a team that would be quite content with third place in the group.
FC Porto: Since winning the Europa League in 2011, Porto have had little to shout about on the continent and last year they were usurped domestically by Benfica, so they will not be found wanting for motivation this season. Coach Julien Lopetegui is young but ambitious, as were Andre Villas Boas and Jose Mourinho when they enjoyed massive success with Porto. They have held on to striker Jackson Martinez, as well as adding Adrian Lopez and Cristian Tello, giving them a wealth of attacking options. It's also a manageable group, so the Dragons could be nicely set up for a decent run in the Champions League this term.
Shakhtar Donetsk: Shakhtar's season preparations have been hugely difficult, but not for footballing reasons. The civil unrest in Ukraine, particularly near the club's Donetsk base, has forced them to set up camp in Kiev and the unstable political situation also prompted six players to delay their return to the war-torn country. While such a mindset is understandable, it doesn't bode well for the season ahead. Through no fault of their own, Shakhtar might have to write this one off.
Prediction: 1st Porto, 2nd Athletic Bilbao, 3rd Shakhtar, 4th BATE

FACTOIDS

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has featured for five clubs that appear in this season's competition. Two of those are in Group A (Juventus and Malmo) and the PSG striker will come up against former employers Barcelona and Ajax in Group F. Had Malmo been drawn into this group rather than APOEL, the Swede would have lined out for all four teams in Group F.
This will be the 60th edition of the European Cup/Champions League and two teams in Group B account for just under 25% of the honours, Real Madrid having won 10 titles and Liverpool five.
Ludogorets Razgrad could come up against two players, Iker Casillas and Steven Gerrard, who played in the Champions League before the Bulgarian club even came into existence.
Two Group C teams, Bayer Leverkusen and Benfica, have had a similar unlucky treble in recent years, namely a second-place league finish in the same season that they lost domestic cup and European finals.
Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund will be in the same group for the third time in four years, and this is not the only Anglo-German pairing for which that statistic rings true. It is also the case with Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
In addition, Bayern and Man City were both in the same group as CSKA Moscow last season. All three are in Group E this year.