The 2019/20 UEFA Champions League group stage draw took place in Monaco yesterday, and it features some blockbusting encounters as Real Madrid will face PSG in group A while Tottenham lock horns with Bayern Munich in group B with Juventus coming against Athletico Madrid in group D among others. Group F is the “group of death,” and it consists of Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, and Slavia Prague.
In this piece, TOP SOCCER BLOG looks at the winners and losers from the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League group stage draws.
WINNERS: NEUTRALS
After the draw was made, neutral football lovers surely can’t wait for the competition to begin as they look forward to some mouthwatering encounters. Some of the exciting matches are:
Real Madrid vs. PSG
Athletico vs. Juventus
Tottenham vs. Bayern
Chelsea vs. Ajax
Barca vs. Dortmund
Inter vs. Barca
Liverpool vs. Napoli
LOSERS: BARCELONA
The Catalan giants will be under pressure to win Europe’s most prestigious club football tournament for the first time since their 2015 treble-winning campaign. Their cause is not aided in any way as they have to navigate their way through “the group of death” that consists of Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Slavia Prague. Dortmund has strengthened their squad for the new campaign with the likes of Thorgan Hazard, Julian Brandt, and Matt Hummels while boasting of arguably the hottest prospect in world football in Jadon Sancho. Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan have also added the likes of Diego Godin, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to their ranks while a trip to San Siro is not something that Barcelona relish.
WINNER: CRISTIANO RONALDO
Ronaldo will be eyeing the golden boot once again and will like to get up and running from the group stages. He faces familiar foes, Athletico Madrid in group D which was completed by Bayer Leverkusen and Locomotiv Moscow. The toughest among Ronaldo’s opponents will be Athletico — who he has a good scoring record against including a stunning hat-trick in last season’s round of 16 2nd leg.
LOSERS: LOKOMOTIV MOSCOW
The Russian side will be cursing their luck after drawing Juventus, Athletico Madrid, and Bayer Leverkusen in Group D and it will take a miracle for them even to secure a 3rd place Europa League finish.
WINNERS: GROUP G MEMBERS
Group G comprises of Zenith, Benfica, Lyon and RB Leipzig. They will all fancy their chances of making it out of the group after avoiding the big names, which means the group is wide open.
WINNERS: AMERICAN SOCCER FANS
American soccer fans are very excited at the moment as the country boasts of some exciting youngsters coming through and also playing in top European leagues. The fans will particularly be following the matches in the Champions League group H where USA international Christian Pulisic, Timothy Weah, and Sergino Dest will feature for Chelsea, Lille, and Ajax respectively.
LOSERS: SLAVIA PRAGUE
Czech Republic side, Slavia Prague will be very happy if they even get a single point in the “group of death” that includes Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, and Inter Milan.
WINNERS: MAN CITY
Pep Guardiola’s charges were dramatically knocked out by Tottenham in last season’s Semifinals. City won the domestic treble last season and will have their eyes set on the Champions League trophy this time around. They couldn’t have prayed for an easier group to start their quest after being drawn against Dinamo Zagreb, Atalanta, and Shaktar Donetsk in group C.
WINNERS: ATALANTA
Atalanta shocked Serie A last season when they secured a Champions League qualification place for the first time in their history. Atalanta who got drawn in group C alongside Man City, Dinamo Zagreb and Shakhtar Donetsk will fancy their chance of at least securing a 3rd place Europa League finish.
Use the comment box below to let us know your thoughts and opinions regarding the Champions League draw.
Written by Muftaudeen Abdullahi Ishola
