Football fans have once again reached their own celebration - today begins the prestigious UEFA Champions League group stage matches. Teams from groups A-D will start their battles in the Old Continent tournament. Also, last season's champions, Real Madrid footballers, will enter the fray. Group A The group consists of Turin's Juventus, Madrid's Atletico, Piraeus's Olympiacos, and Malmo. Almost all experts would agree that the favorites are Juventus and Atletico teams, but remembering last season, when Juventus was eliminated in Istanbul by Galatasaray, questions arise. Without a doubt, the clear favorite is Atletico, who made it to the final last season and only lost in extra time there. Prediction: 1. Madrid's Atletico 2. Turin's Juventus 3. Piraeus's Olympiacos 4. Malmo Group B Teams Basel, Liverpool, Ludogorets, and Real Madrid will compete in this group. In this quartet, there are also clear favorites and underdogs. A fierce battle should take place for the first place, with Liverpool and reigning champions Real Madrid footballers being the most likely contenders. Lately, Carlo Ancelotti's proteges have been playing poorly, but they are still the main contenders for the first place, while Liverpool - for the second. An interesting battle is also expected for the third place and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Prediction: 1. Madrid's Real 2. Liverpool 3. Basel 4. Ludogorets Group C At first glance, Group C seems like the weakest of all four, but that is only the first impression. There is no clear favorite here, and all four teams have equal chances to advance to the quarterfinals. They include Leverkusen's Bayer, Lisbon's Benfica, Monaco, and St. Petersburg's Zenit. It is difficult to predict, but it can be said that Monaco may face the most difficulties in this group, as they are returning to the Champions League after a long break but have lost two key players - Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez. Prediction: 1. Lisbon's Benfica 2. Leverkusen's Bayer 3. St. Petersburg's Zenit 4. Monaco Group D London's Arsenal, Dortmund's Borussia, Brussels's Anderlecht, and Istanbul's Galatasaray - the group is truly intriguing and promises interesting match-ups. Looking at the names, the favorites are Arsenal and Borussia, but Galatasaray knows how to surprise all their opponents, especially with the European vice-champion Cesare Prandelli at the helm. Anderlecht should be considered the underdog in this group, but the ball is round, and no team should be underestimated. Prediction: 1. London's Arsenal 2. Dortmund's Borussia 3. Istanbul's Galatasaray 4. Brussels's Anderlecht. Tuesday's matches: Olympiacos - Atletico Madrid Juventus - Malmo Liverpool - Ludogorets Real Madrid - Basel Monaco - Bayer Benfica - Zenit Galatasaray - Anderlecht Borussia - Arsenal
Aivaras Katutis
