Champions League 2013-14 preview

GROUP A
Bayer Leverkusen: Finalists in 2002, the Bundesliga outfit reached the second round two years ago, only to be on the receiving end of a 7-1 thumping by Barcelona on a night when Lionel Messi scored five. One-time Liverpool stalwart Sami Hyypia is the man in charge and he has made an impressive start in management by guiding Leverkusen to a top three finish in his first season in the dugout. They lost Andre Schurrle to Chelsea over the summer but Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok has returned to the BayArena and they can still call upon the prolific Stefan Kiessling. Germany's third best team are a decent side but they have been landed in a fiendish group and it's hard to see them making it to the last 16.
Manchester United: When Man United take to the field against Leverkusen on Tuesday, it will be their first time playing a Champions League match under a manager other than Alex Ferguson. It will also be a welcome to this tournament for incumbent David Moyes, who has overseen a steady but unspectacular beginning to the Premier League season. One of his main goals for the year ahead will be to improve United's standing in Europe, which has taken a knock over the last couple of seasons since their most recent final appearance in 2011. The squad is more or less the same as last time out, which suggests that they'll successfully negotiate the group stage but come unstuck if drawn against a heavyweight in the knockout rounds. A quarter-final appearance is a must.
Real Sociedad: The Basque club mark their return to the competition after a 10-year absence. In 2003-04 their lethal front line of Dario Kovacevic and Nihat Kahveci helped them to reach the last 16, an objective that is not hugely ambitious this time around. They could miss Asier Illarramendi this season but their attacking options have been bolstered by the signing of Esteban Granero, one of the many players to jump ship from QPR over the summer. They convincingly saw off Lyon in the play-offs and they could have a nasty surprise in store for their more illustrious group opponents. I wouldn't rule them out of sneaking into the last 16.
Shakhtar Donetsk: The Ukrainian champions have been one of the most improved clubs in Europe in recent years, with two knockout stage showings in the last three seasons. Their recruitment policy again has Brazil written all over it, with Bernard the marquee signing, but they have moved on two key players in Fernandinho and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Long-standing coach Mircea Lucescu knows this club like the back of his hand and he will need all of that expertise to maintain the progress they have been gradually making over the past decade. The squad is a bit weaker than last term, which could cost them in what looks like being a tightly-contested group.
Prediction: 1st Man Utd, 2nd Real Sociedad, 3rd Leverkusen, 4th Shakhtar

GROUP B
FC Copenhagen: Having won back the Danish title in May and reclaimed their place in the Champions League group stage, the challenge now for Copenhagen is to ensure that they don't get caught in the trap that has enveloped clubs of a similar stature - namely that of being so dominant in a limited domestic league and never quite good enough to make an impact in Europe. They did get to the knockout rounds in 2011 and they have achieved landmark results against the likes of Man Utd and Barcelona in the past, but they will find it tough in a group containing three of last season's quarter-finalists. They will do well to avoid finishing bottom.
Galatasaray: The Turks were surprise quarter-finalists last season, having made the most of relatively charitable draws in the group stage and last 16, before coming up short against Real Madrid, with whom they will renew acquaintances over the next few weeks. The star turn is Didier Drogba, a winner of this competition with Chelsea in 2012, but their most important player is striker Burak Yilmaz, whose goals played a major part in their unexpected long run in Europe last term. If Fatih Terim's side are to get anywhere near the quarter-finals again, they will have caused a massive upset along the way, as they are up against two of the tournament's best clubs, and a drop into the Europa League is the most likely scenario.
Juventus: A second Serie A title in a row further confirmed that Juve's revival is complete after the club was decimated by the Calciopoli scandal in 2006. With strength in every area of the field - Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba and Mirko Vucinic being joined in the summer by Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente - this is a team that can both mete out multi-goal punishment and edge tight games. Antonio Conte took Juve to the quarter-finals last term, their best showing in seven years, and with their status as Italy's number one undisputed, the club could now do with showing the continent that they are a serious player outside of their own country too. For those seeking an outside bet to win the trophy, look no further than Juventus.
Real Madrid: It's not often that the arrival of a two-time Champions League winning coach and the presence of a player who has scored more than 200 goals in four years is put in the shade, but Carlo Ancelotti and Cristiano Ronaldo were not the chief headline makers at the Bernabeu in the off-season. That status belonged to Gareth Bale, Real's newest acquisition and now the world's most expensive player. The Welshman will undoubtedly be under pressure from day one to reproduce his outstanding form from his Tottenham days, but if he does, and if they improve defensively, Los Blancos will be in with a real chance of winning a 10th European Cup. After all, aside from Bale there is Ronaldo, Isco, Illarmendi and Modric, to name but a few.
Prediction: 1st Juventus, 2nd Real Madrid, 3rd Galatasaray, 4th Copenhagen

GROUP C
Anderlecht: At a time when Belgian football has rarely been stronger, it seems ironic that its flagship club enters the Champions League as one of the tournament's weakest sides. The free-trading, money-driven world of 21st century football, though, means that Belgium's crown jewels fly the home nest before too long, leaving their country's clubs needing to see what young talent they can churn out next. Creative attacking midfielder Dennis Praet is the name that Anderlecht fans will be watching eagerly over the coming season. Their recent Champions League campaigns have tended to conclude with them as the group whipping boys and it's difficult to see the story being any different in 2013-14.
Benfica: Benfica were seeded first for this group and their fans will be glad just to be first in anything. This is a club that, in the space of two weeks in May, finished second in three competitions, including the Europa League final that they gifted to Chelsea. Jorge Jesus, a coach of the heart on the sleeve variety, has dived head first into the transfer market in the hope that the Eagles' luck will change this season, with Serbian striker Miralem Sulejmani the leading recruit. They traditionally perform well in Europe, having been quarter-finalists at worst in either of the continental tournaments every year since 2010, and they should have enough about them to make the knockout stages, even if they finish in that dreaded second place again.
Olympiakos: The Greek champions find themselves in the same quandry as the one in which I classified Copenhagen above. They are so superior in an ailing domestic competition that the fans are almost bored with league titles. They want sustained progress in the Champions League and, for the most part, Olympiakos have not delivered that. They have been almost annual participants in the last 15 years, but have only reached the knockout stages three times. That goal is not entirely unrealistic this season, but they still seem weaker than two other teams in this group, so it looks like being another brief Champions League campaign.
PSG: Isn't it amazing what a few billion quid can do? The Parisiens had gained an unwanted reputation for turning underachievement into an art form, but since PSG were bought by Qatari investors in 2011, they have snapped up some of the top names in world football and strolled to the French title last term. The striking partnership of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and record signing Edinson Cavani will have their fans skipping with glee and opposition defences sweating with panic. The man who guided them to the Champions League quarter-finals in April, Carlo Ancelotti, has departed, with Laurent Blanc his replacement. At the very least they ought to make it to the last eight again; anything less would be unacceptable considering the talent at the Parc des Princes...and considering the millions spent on acquiring such footballing royalty.
Prediction: 1st PSG, 2nd Benfica, 3rd Olympiakos, 4th Anderlecht

GROUP D
Bayern Munich: The holders' objective for the season ahead is simple in theory - retain the trophy they won at Wembley four months ago - but as every defending champion since AC Milan in 1990 will testify, putting together back-to-back European Cup triumphs is no easy task. They are now under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola, who took Barcelona to two Champions League successes in 2009 and 2011, and the young Spanish coach hasn't taken long to try and implement his tiki-taka ways on this Bayern side. With Mario Gotze and Thiago Alcantara added to an already illustrious cast, they have possibly the strongest squad in Europe right now. It's just a question of whether they can toss aside the shackles of history and summon the same hunger which drove them to lay the ghosts of their 2012 final defeat. If they can go all the way again, this Bayern Munich team will go down as one of the finest of the modern era.
CSKA Moscow: The likes of Zenit St. Petersburg and Anzhi Makhachkala have made more headlines at this side of the continent, but Russia's most consistent club of recent years is probably CSKA, who have twice been in the Champions League knockout rounds since 2010. They also have a wealth of exciting attacking options such as Seydou Doumbia, Alax Dzagoev, Rasmus Elm and the blue-haired maestro Vagner Love. They won't fear any of their group opponents and may even catch either Bayern or Man City cold if either of those teams are off colour, although over the course of six games they might just miss out on a place in the last 16.
Manchester City: Two harrowing group stage exits in two attempts have left Man City fans as pale as the shade of blue on the club's shirts and it's an underwhelming record that cost Roberto Mancini his job. They could hardly have chosen a more appropriate replacement in their bid to make serious inroads in this competition, with Manuel Pellegrini having taken Villarreal to the 2006 semis and Malaga to last year's quarter-finals. Both of those sides were making their Champions League debuts, so by that logic he should be able to take Man City to the latter stages. He certainly has the managerial capability to do so, and the players at his disposal are good enough, but even in the early weeks of the season they have shown signs of being a team at war with itself. Pellegrini has to get them into the knockout stages at a minimum.
Viktoria Plzen: The unfashionable club from Czech Republic have been building gradually in recent years and, on their Champions League debut two years ago, managed to land in one of the Europa League drop-down slots. They also had a good run in that competition last season, as well as winning their domestic league, and they have a series of experienced Czech internationals in their side, including Milan Petrzela, David Limbersky and veteran Pavel Horvath. They are undoutedly the minnow of this group, and could get a hammering or two, but they will certainly be competitive and, even if they do finish bottom as is likely, they will probably exit the tournament in a dignified manner.
Prediction: 1st Bayern, 2nd Man City, 3rd CSKA, 4th Viktoria Plzen

GROUP E
Chelsea: The Blues created a piece of unwanted history last season when they became the first holders in the Champions League era to relinquish their crown in the group stage. They atoned for their shock elimination by going on to win the Europa League, but the return of Jose Mourinho shows that they are serious about trying to win a second European Cup in three years. The Portuguese boss twice got Chelsea to the semi-finals during his first spell at Stamford Bridge, both times losing out to Liverpool, and while other clubs have probably stolen a march on Chelsea since then, Mourinho will feel that the last four is a realistic target. That may be asking a bit much but if Samuel Eto'o, Juan Mata, Eden Hazard, Frank Lampard and co are on song, a quarter-final place is definitely within reach.
FC Basel: The Swiss champions have a knack for getting one over on English opposition, as Liverpool, Man Utd and Tottenham will all testify. They also made life difficult for group stage opponents Chelsea in the Europa League semi-finals a few months ago and can pull off highly impressive results on their day. Whether they have the mettle to put together a solid enough sequence of results at this level is another matter, and while they have produced yet another outstanding youngster in forward Mohamed Salah, this team doesn't appear strong enough to match the feat of two years ago when they qualified from their group.
Schalke 04: Struggling in their domestic league and given a real test by PAOK Salonika in the play-offs, the opening weeks of the season haven't been too encouraging for Schalke fans, but they tend to save their best form for the Champions League and they pulled off a real deadline day coup by bringing in Kevin-Prince Boateng from AC Milan. Allied to the goals of Klass-Jan Huntelaar and the teenage brilliance of midfielder Julian Draxler, the club from Gelsenkirchen have the talent to get into the knockout stages once more. They will need to improve on their recent form to do so, but if the attacking unit gels they can certainly make it beyond the group stage.
Steaua Bucharest: One of three group stage participants to successfully negotiate three qualifying rounds, the 1986 European champions are back at this phase for the first time in six seasons. They will meet Chelsea again this term, having rattled the London side when they met in the Europa League during the spring. They can give any opposition a real test, although their squad has been weakened somewhat by the departures of Raul Rusescu and Vlad Chiriches. Results at their new home ground have been noteworthy and they will need more of the same in this competition. Top two may be beyond them but third place is an attainable objective.
Prediction: 1st Chelsea, 2nd Schalke, 3rd Steaua, 4th Basel

GROUP F
Arsenal: A record of remarkable consistency that was under real threat last season is still intact after the Gunners secured fourth place in the Premier League and then eased past feeble Fenerbahce in the play-offs to take their place in the group stage for the 16th year in a row. Arsene Wenger finally answered the supporters' cries of "Spend some f***ing money" by parting with £42.5million for Mesut Ozil and, judging by his performance against Sunderland at the weekend, the German playmaker is already making a difference. Arsenal also have a striker bang in form in Olivier Giroud and he will need to keep racking up the goals as they have landed a horrendous group stage draw. Still, they can boast another record of incredible consistency as they have got past the first hurdle in the Champions League every year since 2000-01. They may have enough about them to maintain that fantastic sequence into a 14th season.
Borussia Dortmund: Last season's beaten finalists must do without Mario Gotze this season after his defection to Bayern Munich, but they have secured a like-for-like replacement in Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and they have also managed to hold onto the remainder of the side that made it to Wembley. That means the potent Robert Lewandowski, industrious Ilkay Gundogan and sparkling Marco Reus are all still lining out in the yellow and black of Dortmund. Jurgen Klopp performed wonders in taking this young team to the final last term and we can again expect them to feature at the business end of the tournament. One thing is for sure: they will be a joy to watch.
Marseille: In a country whose domestic league has seen a dramatic shift at the top table, Marseille have been the most consistent side in terms of Champions League qualification, and when they get there they usually give it a good rattle too, having twice been in the last 16 in the previous three seasons. They manage to remain competitive despite frequently seeing their top names depart, but they have again held on to Mathieu Valbuena, while also securing the signature of highly-rated striker Dimitry Payet. In another group they would be well fancied to finish in the top two, but OM have been handed a rotten draw and they may be the unlucky ones to be dumped out of Europe entirely by Christmas.
Napoli: The Serie A runners-up began the season without two key figures in their successful push for a return to the Champions League after manager Walter Mazzari departed for Inter Milan and Edinson Cavani was lured to the riches of PSG. They have brought in Rafael Benitez, whose track record in Europe must be admired even by his many detractors, and their squad has been strengthened by the arrivals of Pepe Reina, Gonzalo Higuain, Jose Callejon and Dries Mertens. No team in Europe will relish a trip to the intimidating Stadio San Paolo, but Napoli drew the short straw with this tasty-looking group. They got to the last 16 two years ago at the expense of Man City, but they could just miss out on a repeat performance this time.
Prediction: 1st Dortmund, 2nd Arsenal, 3rd Napoli, 4th Marseille

GROUP G
Atletico Madrid: Atletico have already won the Europa League twice this decade, but it has been an awfully long time since they have made a telling impact in the continent's premier competition. Despite the summer sale of Falcao, the replacement of the Colombian hitman by David Villa, as well as the Rojiblancos' superb start to the season which sees them joint top with Barcelona, suuggests that they can make a name for themselves at Champions League level. As well as Villa, they have also brought in Martin Demichelis, who is no stranger to this competition following his years at Bayern Munich and Malaga. Diego Simeone may be in the infancy of his managerial career, but he is already proving to be an astute operator and Atletico should definitely feature in the knockout stages. After that, it's a lottery.
Austria Vienna: The Viennese club are the only group stage debutants in 2013-14 and they become Austria's first participants at this level since city rivals Rapid made it this far eight years ago. Naturally they will be massive outsiders, not just in the competition but in this group even, and they are champions of a middle of the road domestic league, which in contrast to Austria's national team is going down a blind alley. In a tournament laden with football's biggest names, the highest profile players that Peter Stoger's team can offer are Tomas Jun and Roman Kienast. In truth, they did very well just to get past Dinamo Zagreb in the play-offs and it's hard to envisage them even winning a game in this group.
FC Porto: The familiar theme of the two-time European champions parting with their most valuable assets was in evidence again this year, with James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho both heading to Monaco for a combined fee in excess of £60million. Porto, though, always manage to preserve a welcome presence among the most well-run clubs on the continent and while any thoughts of ending a 10-year wait for Champions League glory are farfetched, chances are that the season will not pass by without another fascinating prospect making a name for himself at the Dragao. That prospect could be inexperienced coach Paulo Fonseca, who joins from Pacos Ferreira and comes into the club in a not dissimilar manner to past Porto bosses Jose Mourinho and Andre Villas Boas. Getting out of the group is within their capabilities; a quarter-final place may be pushing it.
Zenit St. Petersburg: Zenit proved much too strong for Portuguese newcomers Pacos Ferreira in the play-offs and their UEFA Cup success of 2008 has been proved as more than a mere one-off. Luciano Spalletti has gone back to the future in a sense this summer by bringing back Andrei Arshavin, whose best years were in a Zenit shirt and who looks reborn after ending his disappointing spell with Arsenal. He is not the only veteran to move to St. Petersburg; Ukraine midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk joins after claiming a winners' medal with Bayern Munich in May. Striker Hulk will be up against his former club Porto, but he has struggled in Russia and Zenit might not have enough in their ranks to make it out of the group.
Prediction: 1st Atletico Madrid, 2nd Porto, 3rd Zenit, 4th Austria Vienna

GROUP H
AC Milan: Although they were ultimately dumped out 4-0 on the night by Barcelona last season, Milan's performance in the first leg, when they secured a 2-0 victory, hinted that there was life in this old dog yet. Ironically it is actually an increasingly younger Rossoneri side that Massimiliano Allegri is moulding, with the days of Gattuso, Pirlo and Inzaghi a thing of the past, and the key men nowadays are youngsters Mario Balotelli and Stephan El Shaarawy. Those two will make for an impressive attacking unit if their explosive characters don't clash with one another, while former San Siro idol Kaka has returned from Real Madrid. Winning the trophy seems to be a big ask but I wouldn't be surprised to see them make the last eight.
AFC Ajax: It looked for all the world as if Ajax would somehow manage to hold on to Christian Eriksen, but the Dane's long-anticipated move from Amsterdam finally came at the end of August as he joined Tottenham. The four-time European champions will badly miss Eriksen's creativity and brilliance, although this never-ending mine of young talent is again churning out the goods, with teenager Viktor Fischer the name being touted by Ajax fans. Frank de Boer continues to show commitment to the club's tradition of trusting in young players and implementing an enterprising style of play, but whether that will be enough to make it out of this challenging group is another question.
Barcelona: Even though they regained their La Liga title from Real Madrid and made it to the Champions League semi-finals for the sixth time in a row, it hasn't been the easiest of years for Barcelona. They were pummelled 7-0 on aggregate by Bayern Munich in the last four and they gave the impression of a wonderful team that was beginning to wane. There was also the difficulty of seeing manager Tito Vilanova being forced to step down due to serious health problems, although they seem to have made a fine replacement in Gerardo Martino. It will also be fascinating to see how Neymar and Lionel Messi link up in the months ahead, with the Argentine still operating at a different level to the rest of the world and the Brazilian seeking to make his mark in his debut season in Europe. Whether Barca are still supreme enough to win a fifth European Cup is debatable, but there's no reason why they can't make it to a seventh consecutive semi-final.
Celtic: It might seem strange that a team which beat Barcelona and got to the last 16 in the season just gone would be glad merely to be in the group stage, but considering the struggle that Celtic had in getting past Shakhter Karagandy, and the financial implications if they failed in that mission, Neil Lennon's chief aim for the season has already been fulfilled. They will win the SPFL Premiership at a canter once again, so the real barometer of their season will be how they perform at Champions League level. On the face of it they haven't a cat's hope in hell, but it was less than a year ago that Barcelona came to Glasgow and left a beaten side. Also, Celtic often raise their game for the big boys of European football and they can go into most of their group matches with a lot more to gain than to lose. Still, with Victor Wanyama and Gary Hooper gone, even a third place finish in this group will be an achievement.
Prediction: 1st Barcelona, 2nd Milan, 3rd Ajax, 4th Celtic

FACTOIDS

• Two of Dimitar Berbatov's former teams, Bayer Leverkusen and Man Utd, face each other in Group A. The pair met in the semi-finals in 2002, when unfancied Leverkusen won through on away goals after two draws.
• Galatasaray have twice been in the quarter-finals, 2001 and 2013, and on both occasions they lost to Real Madrid on aggregate despite winning in Istanbul. The pair also met in the UEFA Super Cup in 2000, which the Turkish side won, and will again do battle in Group B.
• This is Man City's third Champions League campaign and their second in which they have been drawn with Bayern Munich. It will also be their third year in a row up against German opposition, having been in the same group as Borussia Dortmund last season.
• Man City's group also contains CSKA Moscow, which will bring together two former clubs of Brazilian striker Jo, a winner of the Libertadores Cup with Atletico Mineiro in July.
• Chelsea will meet Steaua Bucharest and Basel in Group E. They encountered both of those teams en route to winning the Europa League last season.
• Three of the teams in Group F were also in the same group in 2011-12: Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Marseille. Coincidentally, they were also in Group F that season.
• Group G contains four of the last six UEFA Cup/Europa League winners: Zenit (2008), Atletico Madrid (2010 and 2012) and Porto (2011). The other two winners of that competition in the same timeframe - Shakhtar Donetsk and Chelsea - could not have been drawn into the same group due to their seedings.
• Three of the teams in Group H were also in the same group in 2004-05: Milan, Barcelona and Celtic.
• By the time the group stage is finished, Barcelona and Milan will have played each other eight times in this competition in the space of 26 months. They were in the same group in 2011-12, a season when they also met in the quarter-finals, and they faced each other in the second round last season.
• In addition, this will be the seventh Champions League season in which they have met, the others being 1993/94, 2000/01, 04/05, 05/06, 11/12 and 12/13.
• All four teams in Group H are previous winners of the European Cup: Milan (seven times), Barcelona (four), Ajax (four) and Celtic (one).