The biggest European Club competition is upon us. It will consist of 32 teams divided into 8 groups from 14 different countries within Europe. In this article, we will take a look at my predictions of teams that will advance from the group stage.
Group A:
Top 2: Bayern, Man United
The obvious favorites to progress through are the German giants Bayern and the elite English club, Manchester United. Although United has been hit or miss in the premier league, they ultimately have the 2nd best team in the group. Copenhagen and Galastray may give them a fight but it won’t be enough to take their 2nd place spot in the group. Bayern is not really a match for any of these teams with a club value of €981.20m as of Aug 15, 2023 (Transfermarkt). In contrast, Manchester United’s squad value is €872.10m as of Aug 15, 2023 (Transfermarkt).
Group B:
Top 2: Arsenal, Sevilla
Arsenal and Sevilla are the only two clubs that may hold contention with each other, but I still have Arsenal as my first pick. Sevilla is a good Spanish side but ultimately I think that they don’t have what it takes to beat Arsenal. On top of that, Sevilla aren’t really dominant in the Champions League and have most of their International European success in the Europa League, having won the competition 7 times (UEFA). Lens will be last if PSV possibly beat Lens both times.
Group C:
Top 2: Real Madrid, Napoli
Real Madrid are the favorites every time when it comes to Champions League play, not to top their group, but simply to win the competition as a whole. Miguel Hernandez, a sophomore at TL is a big Madrid supporter. “They are easily the best team in the world. I’ve supported them since I was 4 years old.” The 2nd biggest club out of the 4 teams is Italian club Napoli who are in the Serie A and hold a market value of €577.55m as of Aug 15, 2023 (Transfermarkt). Logically, these two clubs are most likely to advance to the round of 16. The other 2 teams are Braga and Union Berlin, which I strongly believe Braga will place 4th with Union Berlin claiming the Europa League spot.
Group D:
Top 2: Inter, Benfica
Even though this group will have fierce competition as it includes Austrian club RB Salzburg and the Spanish club Real Sociedad, I don’t think they will top the group. For one, Inter is by far the biggest club in the group with a squad valuation of €493.35m as of Aug 15, 20203 (Transfermarkt). They also have the most to lose as they came up short last year, losing 1-0 in the final against Manchester City, and will be looking to return. Next, the Portuguese club Benfica is my 2nd choice team as they perform well in the Group stage matches. Although, this group can go either way as all of these teams have young, well-rounded teams.
Group E:
Top 2: Atlético Madrid, Lazio
Atlético Madrid will easily top their group because of two simple reasons, they have the most experience in the tournament compared to the other teams and Atlético doesn’t like losing, especially in the group stage. Lazio will come second but it will be a close fight for them and Feyenoord as both teams are pretty similar, both in size and experience. Both teams are mysteries in the competition as they haven’t participated in quite some time. Sadly, Celtic really doesn’t move from the 4th place spot and will most likely stay there.
Group F: The Death Group
Top 2: Newcastle, AC Milan
Newcastle will be my favorite to top the group. They haven’t performed that well in the premier league but they do have a really complete squad compared to the other teams in the group. They also have lots of potential within. Runners up of the group would be Milan as they did well last year making it to the semi-finals, but they did get knocked out by their rivals Inter Milan. It will give them the motivation they need to play in the Champions League. Though, I didn’t choose PSG or Dortmund because they are both in rebuilding phases. PSG has lost Messi and Neymar so it will be difficult with a new team dynamic. Dortmund sold their most solid midfielder, Jude Bellingham, and are missing a key piece of their puzzle.
Group G:
Top 2: Man City, RB Leipzig
The favorites in this group are Man City, just look at their starting 11. Their market value is a total of €1.25bn as of Aug 15, 2023 (Transfermarkt) and they have by far the best players money can buy. They also won the competition last year which boosted their chances. RB Leipzig are the runners-up because they have the 2nd best team in the group. Young Boys aren’t as good so they will probably get 3rd and get a Europa League spot. In 4th place I have Crvena Zvezda which is a club I haven’t heard about so by default, they get the last spot in the group.
Group H:
Top 2: Barcelona, Porto
Spanish Giants Barcelona will top this group, without a doubt. Alvaro Lopez, a sophomore at TLHS who has been a Barca supporter since he could ever remember confidently said, “Barcelona probably won’t even lose a game, they’re without a doubt the best team in that group.” They have been a bit unstable against Spanish teams but will be ready in time to face international competition. As well as Porto, the teams in the group are pretty easy, or at least should be. Porto is my second choice because they have a lot more experience than the other two teams (Antwerp, and Shakhtar Donetsk). Within reason, they should be the runners-up of the group.
I’m hoping that the teams I have predicted will succeed in the upcoming weeks, stay tuned and make sure to catch some games!
