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There are only a few weeks left until the start of the Champions League tournament. Therefore, it's time to start predicting what might happen in the group stage.
Group A
The hierarchy in the group is clear. "Dinamo" will continue to sell matches and will take 4th place, while others will compete for first place in the group. PSG spent the summer wisely, so they can now wait calmly for the Champions League.
The odds are such that all the possibilities to win the group are in their hands, and if they win it, there is a fairly direct path to the quarterfinals. The main competitors from Porto suffered a blow on the last day when Hulk left. However, the team's strength center will push even more towards the powerful midfield - Defour, Moutinho and Gonzalez will cause danger to all defending lines battling for control of the field. "Dinamo Kiev" has also strengthened enough to have good chances to reach the round of 16. Although the team is still noticeably lacking chemistry due to a variety of newcomers, the old guard seems to have improved significantly, so the chances of progressing further are real.
1. PSG 2. "Porto" 3. "Dinamo.K" 4. "Dinamo.Z"
Group B
Two giants, a dwarf, and a former giant. "Arsenal" went through another farewell drama in the summer - RvP and Song are no longer there. However, this time Wenger didn't need to resort to desperate measures - the team had invested in several high-class players, and the new club leader will probably be Cazorla. After an excellent last season, Schalke's heroes didn't leave Gelsenkirchen, only Raul did. Affelay and Barnetta arrived, so the team has strengthened ahead of the Champions League. Therefore, "Schalke" may compete for first place in the group if circumstances favor them. The French champions started the new season poorly and it seems that they will not contend for high positions in this group, but at least they can challenge "Olympiacos." Greece suffered from a star-veteran craze, and the team's squad lacks big stars and exceptional personalities, so they should finish in 4th place.
1. "Arsenal" 2. "Schalke" 3. "Montpellier" 4. "Olympiacos"
Group C
One of the hardest groups to predict. ACM should be the favorites, but after the departures of Silva and Ibra, they have weakened considerably. "Zenit," on the contrary, signed Hulk and, more importantly, Witsel, who should become the team's leader.
In Malaga, the mood was similar to Milan - financial problems and losses. However, at least at this moment, the team is in very good form and therefore Malaga will compete with everyone in the early rounds. "Anderlecht" would be a serious force in any other group, but this one is just too strong. The coaches' battles will be interesting - a trio of similar strength - Spalletti, Allegri and Pellegrini are probably not in any other group, except for Group D, where the coach battles are even more impressive.
1. ACM 2. "Zenit" 3. "Malaga" 4. "Anderlecht"
Group D
Mancini, Mourinho, de Boer, Klopp. The eyes of ordinary football coaches, if they have no sympathies, will probably turn to Group D because tactical battles will be plentiful here. The favorites are two - "Real" and MC. It's unclear how "Real" will be affected by CR's gossip about wanting to leave, but in general, "Real" is the best-equipped and most prepared of all 4 clubs to go far in Europe. MC shouldn't be too happy with these draws, as they struggled in a group of similar difficulty last season. Ultimately, the experience in the Champions League is what MC lacks the most to tremble Europe, not just England. "Borussia" is once again in a very tough group, and although the team is powerful, they probably won't seriously contend for first place (unless the CR factor or MC's inconsistency). "Ajax" was robbed once again, this time mostly in defense. They won't be left without points, but it's too early for them to compete with such clubs this year. If van der Wiel and Vertonghen were there, it might be different.
1. "Real" 2. MC 3. "Borussia" 4. "Ajax"
