Champions’ League Draw - Part 1 - Groups A to D
The Champions League draw finally happened on Thursday and as is usual, it threw up a host of interesting combinations. Teams from across Europe were brought together into collectivized groups. Following is the detail of how groups have been decided and also how various teams might fare in them. The groups from A to D will all serve us a delicious plate of football this coming season in Europe.
Group A - Inter Milan, Werder Bremen, Tottenham Hotspur, FC Twente
One of the headlines made by this group was due to the fact that Harry Redknapp's newly qualified Tottenham Hotspur are in the same group as the champions of Europe Inter Milan. The Spurs will find themselves up against a familiar foe in the shape of former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez who now heads the treble holders in Milan. The other two teams in the group are no pushovers either. From Germany hails Werder Bremen, who despite the loss of some key players over the summer, will be a very daunting prospect. FC Twente are the current champions of the Dutch League, the Eredevisie. If Tottenham thought they might have an easy transition into the competition, they have another thing coming. This will be an extremely competitive group where second place is up for grabs. Inter Milan will probably top the group while Werder Bremen might just sneak into second place due to the fact that they have more experience in the competition.
Group B – Lyon, Benfica, Schalke, Hapoel Tel Aviv
This is another competitive group in which Lyon, Benfica and Schalke will be ducking it out for a place in the knock out stages. Hapoel may find this level to be a little too much for them and might end up being the fodder in the group. Representatives from France, Portugal and Germany make this a cosmopolitan group and Lyon will be looking to top it. They have recently added the talents of mercurial playmaker Yohann Gourcuff and will be looking to build on last season's successful campaign. Schalke will have the talents of Raul in their team and they could be favorites for the second place. Lyon and Schalke hence might advance from this group.
Group C - Manchester United, Valencia, Rangers, Bursaspor
United would be very happy with their part of the draw. With all due respect to the other teams in the group, the only contest the side from Manchester might face is from Valencia. Rangers have been woeful in Europe while Bursaspor were the lowest ranked team in the draw. Furthermore, even Valencia itself, has been weakened from the sales of their most talented players, David Silva to Manchester City and David Villa to Barcelona. A straightforward result can be expected in this group - Manchester United will probably finish first while Valencia in second place.
Group D - Barcelona, Panathinaikos, FC Copenhagen, Rubin Kazan
Barcelona will be looking at this easy draw as a sign of things to come. Greece, Denmark and Russia are no centers of foot-balling power and the Catalan giants might even test some of their youngsters in the competition. Panathinaikos, Copenhagen and Kazan might have experience in the competition yet Barcelona will fancy their chances of qualifying in top spot without dropping any points at all. Even though they were defeated by Kazan in the competition recently, Barcelona should still be expected to advance. The crucial question is who will qualify in second position. The teams are all very equal though Kazan might seem a better bet for second position due to their recent performances in the competition. They have higher quality players in their squad as well. Therefore, it is expected that Barcelona and Rubin Kazan might qualify from this group.
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