Predictable look for Champions
Print Edition
THE Champions League group stages took on a less predictable look after Thursday’s draw, helped by UEFA’s decision to tweak the seeding system.
Only Group A, where Paris St. Germain and Real Madrid should steam through, and Group F, set to be dominated by Bayern Munich and Arsenal, appeared to be foregone conclusions after the hour-long ceremony in Monaco.
Other sections looked far more difficult to call, particularly Group D where anything could happen between Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla and Borussia Moenchengladbach.
This time, the top seeds were the champions of the eight most successful nations in club competition.
Real Madrid, which leads the club coefficients but was not La Liga winner last season, was one of the eight second seeds while Dutch league champion PSV Eindhoven, 37th in the coefficients, was one of the eight top seeds. The draw could pump a little more excitement into a competition that, recently in the group stages, has been short on romance and shock results.
Last season all but five places in the round of 16 were taken before the final round of matches in the group stages.
In addition, 11 teams have reached the round of 16 for the last two seasons in a row.
This time the thrills could start in Group B featuring Manchester United, VfL Wolfsburg, CSKA Moscow and PSV.
PSV will want to show Dutch club football is alive and kicking, Wolfsburg was Bundesliga runner-up last season and CSKA came through a dramatic playoff against Sporting Lisbon.
While United should go through, it will not want to depend on getting a result in its final match at Wolfsburg.
Atletico Madrid should progress from Group C, leaving Galatasaray and Benfica to scrap for second place with Kazakh outsider Astana adding an exotic touch.
There are no clear favorites in Group D where Serie A champion and last season’s runner-up Juventus could struggle after the departures of Carlos Tevez, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal. City’s poor European record has shown that Premier League status and riches do not guarantee Champions League success.
Holder Barcelona should cruise through Group E but there is likely to be a fascinating battle for second place between Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma. Chelsea should dominate Group G although Porto is always dangerous opponents with a knack of replenishing the team after selling its top players.
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