Fans watch as the draw for the group phase of the UEFA Champions League takes place in Monaco. For this reason, its unveiling was accompanied by uproarious excitement from countless English clubs and their supporters. Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool are all preparing for frequently arduous battles. They are all eager to put their stamp on the venerable tournament!
Chelsea are another side facing a daunting task, having been drawn in a group with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Napoli. With this lineup, it will surely be a great challenge of execution and guile for the London club. Each match will be a test of strength as Chelsea seek to ensure qualification for the knockout stages.
Newcastle’s task will be equally as difficult, the Magpies drawn with heavyweights Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Marseille. This proves a dangerous stage to be where the group often finds itself, especially against PSG, spearheaded by its famous cast of stars. The obstacles, and there will be many, are going to demand the best out of Newcastle if they’re to progress.
Tottenham’s been drawn with Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Bodø/Glimt. And of course, fans are clamoring to see them in matches against Dortmund and PSG. They are as excited as we are to see how our US clubs perform on the European stage!
For Arsenal, the task ahead is almost as staggering as they’ve been drawn into a group with Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Atlético Madrid. In history, the ranking of encounters with Bayern always were the most hard matchups. Arsenal will need to be at their very best to get the better of these proven European stalwarts.
Imagine Manchester City’s reaction to having drawn Real Madrid, Dortmund, and Bayer Leverkusen. The tie up against Real Madrid could hardly be more significant, with these two clubs’ rich histories and intensely competitive rivalry in European football preceding them. City will look to replicate their recent success in the tournament, having won on two of the last three occasions.
With that draw, Liverpool are now seeded into a group with Real Madrid, Inter and Atlético Madrid. The rivalry with Real Madrid looks like a repeat of finals gone by, finally creating the recipe for some classic heavyweight championship bouts. Liverpool will be hoping their extra European pedigree will help them get through this tough group.
That draw was made by four pots of teams, the nine teams in each pot ordered by their UEFA coefficient. Each team will play eight fixtures: two against teams from each pot, including their own. This checkered format guarantees a homogenous group of enemies as fascinate sports intensify to artistic football.