Group A:<\/strong>\u00a0Bayern Munich, Atl\u00e9tico Madrid, Salzburg, Lokomotiv Moscow <\/p>\n The last time these two met was three years ago in the group stage, and, unsurprisingly, both teams won at home 1-0.<\/p>\n Keep an eye on Salzburg, though.<\/p>\n They might have lost their superstar H\u00e5land, but in a recent friendly match against Liverpool, as Liverpool played with their regular starters, the match finished 2-2. Daka is a goal-scoring machine, bound to be the next H\u00e5land.<\/p>\n While Bayern also won the Supercup against Sevilla, it was not an easy fight, and the absence of players like Peri\u0161i\u0107, Coutinho, and Thiago Alc\u00e2ntara was felt.<\/p>\n They go into this campaign as the obvious favorites, but after an appalling Bundesliga match against Hoffenheim and a narrow win against Dortmund in the German Super Cup, the cracks might begin to show.<\/p>\n It’s unlikely however those cracks will be wide enough for Salzburg to sneak through.<\/p>\n Predicted placements: <\/em><\/strong>1) Atl\u00e9tico Madrid <\/strong>2) Bayern Munich 3) Salzburg 4) <\/strong>Lokomotiv Moscow<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Group B <\/strong>is interesting because, on paper, it looks like it\u2019s Real Madrid\u2026and the others.<\/p>\n Real Madrid not going through would probably be a shocker of Leicester-wining-Premier-League proportions.<\/p>\n As for the rest, though, Shakhtar and Inter had great Europa League running, making the semis and the final, respectively, but were less fortunate in their Champions League runs in recent years.<\/p>\n Inter are bringing some old (and) fresh blood this year though, with Hakimi, Vidal, Nainggolan (returning from loan), and Darmian.<\/p>\n Shakhtar will be looking for revenge against Inter for stopping them on their way to the Europa League final. Meanwhile, M\u00f6nchengladbach looked at some point like it could win the Bundesliga, but it was not meant to be; they feel like a team somehow not living up to their potential.<\/p>\n Places 2, 3, and 4 could go either way, honestly.<\/p>\n Predicted placements: <\/em><\/strong>1) Real Madrid 2) Inter 3) Shakhtar Donetsk 4) M\u00f6nchengladbach<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Group C <\/strong>seems like a breeze for Manchester City. Porto has been having an uneven Champions League run in the last couple of years, mostly either making the round of 16 or the quarterfinals. Last year, they were unable to even reach the Champions League group stage, after being quarterfinalists the year before. However, if their Primeira Liga start is of any indication (scoring 8 goals in 2 matches), they mean business this year. Olympiacos’s most notable result in recent years had been knocking Arsenal out of the Europa League, but you\u2019d have to go all the way to the 1998-99 season to find a better result than making the round of 16 in the Champions League. Olympique de Marseille are happy to still be able to brag that they are the only French team to have ever won the Champions League, but other than the win in League 1 against PSG, in a match where red and yellow cards flew, just like the multiple accusations of racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and discrimination, their results aren\u2019t particularly notable. The 2017-18 Europa League final against Atl\u00e9tico Madrid showed some promise, but then the next year, they couldn\u2019t even make it past the Europa League group stage.<\/p>\n Predicted placements: <\/em><\/strong>1) Manchester City 2) Porto 3) Olympiacos 4) Marseille<\/strong><\/p>\n Group D <\/strong>is pretty much the miracle group. Liverpool won the Champions League in the 2018-19 season, 14 years after the Miracle of Istanbul<\/em>. Ajax had a formidable Champions League run in the same season, eliminating both Real Madrid and Juventus, while Atalanta reached last season\u2019s quarterfinals, after it seemed almost a given that they wouldn\u2019t even advance from the group stage. Their rebirth was also backed by a Serie A performance which saw them finishing third, with 98 goals scored. Midtjylland is also making their Champions League group stage debut, after an impressive play-off win against Slavia Praha. Ajax, however, didn\u2019t really live up to the expectations, only finishing third in their group in the past season and losing against Getafe in the Europa League. It has to be said though that within the last two years, they\u2019ve lost players like Dest, van de Beek, Ziyech, de Ligt, and de Jong, so it\u2019s understandable that they need more time to rebuild that team of youngsters we all loved to see. Traore, Antony, Martinez, and Kudus will fight to fill that void; I\u2019m sure scouters will be watching them. Between Atalanta and Ajax, the second place is pretty much a matter of flipping the coin, but I\u2019m giving the edge to Atalanta because their offensive threat can make the best defenses crack.<\/p>\n Predicted placements: <\/em><\/strong>1) Liverpool 2) Atalanta 3) Ajax 4) Midtjylland<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Article and pictures courtesy of Alexandra Fechete<\/em><\/p>\n
\nGroup B:<\/strong> Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Borussia M\u00f6nchengladbach
\nGroup C:<\/strong>\u00a0Porto, Manchester City, Olympiakos, Marseille
\nGroup D:<\/strong>\u00a0Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta, Midtjylland
\nGroup E:<\/strong>\u00a0Sevilla, Chelsea, Krasnodar, Rennes
\nGroup F:<\/strong>\u00a0Zenit, Dortmund, Lazio, Club Brugge
\nGroup G:<\/strong>\u00a0Juventus, Barcelona, Dynamo Kyiv, Ferencv\u00e1ros
\nGroup H:<\/strong>\u00a0PSG,\u00a0Manchester United, RB Leipzig, \u0130stanbul Ba\u015fak\u015fehir<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/prostinternational.comwp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/P1010416-300x210.jpg\")
Group A <\/strong>will most likely have Bayern Munich and Atl\u00e9tico Madrid battling it out for the first two places.<\/p>\n