September 13th marks the start of the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League season. 32 teams, divided into four groups of eight, begin their journey towards the coveted title. The first teams to enter the competition are those in groups A-D. Today we will witness matches between teams such as Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, as well as Manchester City and Borussia Mönchengladbach. The most visited football news portal in the country, EuroFootball.com, presents an overview of groups A-D - favorites and predicted positions. Group A Favorites - Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain. It is the clash between these two teams that we will see in the first round of the group stage. Also competing in the group are Basel and Ludogorets, but no one can doubt that the teams from North London and Paris are the main contenders to advance to the next stage. These two teams should compete for first place in the group. Looking at the statistics from previous seasons, PSG players are stronger, but their current form is not impressive and the "Gunners" could take advantage of that. "The Dark Horse" - Basel. The aforementioned favorites of the group should be wary of the Swiss champions, especially when playing in their stronghold. Basel has been participating in the Champions League group stage for years and aims to reach the quarterfinals. Their chances of securing a spot in the next stage are minimal, but the Swiss are not likely to easily surrender victories to Arsenal or PSG. Predicted final Group A table: 1. Paris Saint-Germain 2. Arsenal 3. Basel 4. Ludogorets Group B Favorites - Napoli and Benfica. It would be hard to argue that the Serie A runners-up have the most chances to take first place. Benfica from Lisbon is also a dangerous opponent, so a fierce battle should unfold between these two rivals. This group is evenly matched - Besiktas from Istanbul and Dynamo Kyiv from Kyiv also have chances. However, common sense says that Napoli and Benfica will move on to the next stage. "The Dark Horse" - Dynamo Kyiv. Having left the Donetsk Shakhtar behind in the last Ukrainian championship season, the Kyiv club should cause trouble for any team in Group B. Besiktas is a strong Turkish team, but they may lack experience. Dynamo has every chance to fight for second place or at least a ticket to the Europa League. Predicted final Group B table: 1. Napoli 2. Benfica 3. Dynamo Kyiv 4. Besiktas Group C Favorites - Barcelona and Manchester City. This is perhaps the most interesting and attention-grabbing group. Fate has brought Pep Guardiola's City team with the former Spanish club Barcelona. There is no doubt that these two clubs are the main contenders to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. The biggest intrigue in this group is the question of first place. Both City and Barcelona will aim for that position. "The Dark Horse" - Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Germans have not been showing good form in the Bundesliga lately, but they are a team that Barcelona and Manchester City should beware of. Gladbach has excellent chances to take third place and, with the opportunity, make a move towards the quarterfinals. Predicted final Group C table: 1. Barcelona 2. Manchester City 3. Gladbach Borussia 4. Celtic Glasgow Group D Favorites - Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid. A similar situation to the one described in Group C. Atletico and Bayern are unquestionably the favorites in this group. Both Bavarians and the 'Rojiblancos' players aim for one goal in this group - to take first place. The paths of both clubs crossed in the previous season, when Atletico eliminated the then Pep Guardiola-led Munich team from the semi-finals after a dramatic battle. "The Dark Horse" - PSV Eindhoven. The Russian representative Rostov may also surprise, but PSV has more experience and could be the dark horse of the group, causing problems for the favorites. It is interesting that in the previous season, the same Dutch club lost in the quarterfinals to Atletico players, who made it to the final after a penalty shootout. Diego Simeone must seriously analyze those uncertain matches, as they may need to fight not only with Bayern. Predicted final Group D table: 1. Bayern Munich 2. Atletico Madrid 3. PSV Eindhoven 4. Rostov Schedule of matches taking place on Tuesday: Group A Basel - Ludogorets (21:45) PSG - Arsenal Group B Benfica - Besiktas Dynamo - Napoli Group C Barcelona - Celtic Man City - Gladbach Borussia Group D Bayern - Rostov PSV - Atletico
Aivaras Katutis, eurofootball.lt
