UEFA Champions League Group Stage Draw 2015/2016

With the Champions League group stage almost upon us, here is my prediction as to how each group will pan out:

  

Group A – PSG, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Malmo

Without doubt, PSG and Real Madrid lead the way in Group A. PSG have largely underachieved in this competition of late and Laurent Blanc will be hoping to turn the Parisian’s fortunes around. I fancy the Madrid to top the group, with PSG winning one of the matches against the Spanish Royals. As for Shakhtar, Douglas Costa will be sorely missed and Malmo won’t offer the top seeds much of a challenge as they are just happy to be welcoming European powerhouses to Sweden.

Group B – PSV, MUFC, CSKA, Wolfsburg

United fans have a reason to be optimistic about their chances in the group stage. The match against PSV will see Memphis Depay return to visit his former club. While it is a tricky group, United should be looking to win all their home games and sneak and draw or preferably a win at the away fixtures. Away, all games will test United through a mix of travelling, fearsome atmospheres as well as the decent players they will face. Undoubtedly, City have done their neighbours a favour in buying Wolfsburg’s best player. To qualify, I tip United, and Wolfsburg with PSV gaining the Europa League spot.

Group C – Benfica, Atletico, Galatasaray, Astana

Astana become the first Kazakhstan side to qualify for the Champions League, and will no doubt cause people to complain about the air miles they will rack up. Atletico will be favourites for this group and it will be an interesting affair for the second spot. Benfica are the Portuguese champions and we know about the pedigree of some of the Galatasaray players. Both sides endured dismal campaigns last year, finishing bottom of their respective groups. I tip Benfica to get second spot while the Turks will claim the Europa League spot.

Group D – Juventus, MCFC, Sevilla, B. M'Bach

Another ‘nightmare’ group for City fans that may not turn out to be that bad. Last year’s runners up, Juventus are yet to get off the mark in Serie A, recording two losses against Udinese and Roma respectively. Likewise, Monchengladbach are rooted to the bottom of the table, losing all three of their opening Bundesliga games. With City splashing the cash on some real talent, I think they will top this group and mount a real challenge towards the latter stages. I’m also tipping Juventus to progress while the German side struggle to be rooted to the bottom.

Group E – Barcelona, Leverkusen, Roma, BATE

Ready to defend their crown, Barcelona will be pleased with their group and I fully expect them to have qualification wrapped up with matches to spare. Roma have been disappointing in 2015 so far, winning just 11 of their games in all competitions. With Javier Hernandez on the verge of completing his move to Leverkusen, he will provide extra fire power to compete for a starting spot with Stefan Keißling. Although only two games in, Roma have started the season well and I would tip them for that second spot with Leverkusen in third.

Group F – Bayern, AFC, Olympiacos, Dinamo Zagreb

How many times over the last few years have Arsenal faced Bayern Munich in the Champions League? I think the qualification places already write themselves, barring a major upset. Bayern haven’t been the same side since they won the competition in 2013, and Pep Guardiola will be looking to prove to his doubters that he can win a Champions League without Lionel Messi. They will top the group, with Arsenal in second. While Arsenal have beaten the German champions injh Munich before, Wenger’s inadequacies in the transfer market leaves his side a long way off competing with the top European clubs.

Group G – Chelsea, Porto, Dynamo Kyiv, M. Tel-Aviv

Chelsea have had a poor start to the 2015/2016 campaign but should be confident about qualifying from their group. They have been handed a relatively comfortable group, which sees Jose Mourinho return to face the club that he won the Champions League with. Most people expect Chelsea to top, with Porto following behind. As for the other two, Dynamo have sought after midfielder Andriy Yarmolenko and Aleksander Dragovic while the Israeli side are under the stewardship of Jordi Cryuff and are looking dominant in the Israeli league. I’m predicting a Dynamo third place finish.

Group H – Zenit, Valencia, Lyon, Gent

Last but certainly not least, Group H. While it may not house any of the top European sides, it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Lyon have a fantastic set up in central France, producing some top talents such as Nabil Fekir and Alexandre Lacazette. Retaining that talent has led them to struggle to compete with the top sides in Europe. Similarly, Valencia have decent players within their ranks. New purchase Rodrigo will form a partnership with Alvaro Negredo while Pablo Piatti will pull the strings in midfield. Both Shkodran Mustafi and Aymen Abdennour will provide muscle at the back. It will be an amusing watch to see which side will come out on top.

The new regulations for the Champions League groups have thrown up some interesting ties, who do you think will top the groups?

Euro 2016 Qualifying Draw

It seems like yesterday that we were congratulating Spain on their 2nd consecutive Euro Championship victory. Now that the World Cup is just around the corner, the qualifying groups for Euro 2016, could add more misery upon English fans or else deliver some over due luck to the rest of the Home Nations.

The Home Nations have not all qualified for major tournament since the 1958 World Cup, which is Wales' only appearance in a high profile competition to date. The new structure of the tournament will provide renewed hope for minnows such as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The tournament has been revamped, allowing 24 teams, instead of the usual 16 to compete in the finals. The top 2 nations from each pool will qualify automatically along with the best third placed team. The 8 remaining third placed sides enter a 2 legged affair in order to decide the last 4 spots in France 2016. Among the home nations, this will give Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland confidence that they can scrape through.

Here, I will assess the chances of each of the Home nations qualifying for France 2016:

Group B: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Belgium, Israel, Wales, Cyprus, Andorra

We all predict the Belgians to run riot in this group and qualify with ease, however, second place is slightly more difficult. Bosnia or Israel are more likely, however, Wales and Gareth Bale must be fancying their chances here. Cyprus and Andorra are easy 6 pointers for the Welsh. On the other hand, a point against Belgium would feel like a moral victory. Israel could prove a stumbling block, but they would be looking for at least 3 points from that tie. Wales against Bosnia will see Gareth Bale face Edin Dzeko. Bosnia have a few players that could cause Wales several problems, including Dzeko, Asmir Begovic and Miralem Pjanic. In my opinion, this group presents Wales' best opportunity to qualify for a major international tournament for the first time since 1958.

Group D: Germany, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Scotland, Georgia, Gibraltar

Group D, or Group of Death, as most Scots and Irish would refer to it as. Germany will be too strong for Ireland and Scotland while Poland will test them. Buoyed on by competing in 2012, Ireland will believe that they can upset Poland in order to pinch that 2nd place. Unfortunately, I do not see this happening. Poland are a classy outfit with quality players in Lewandowski and Obraniak and Piszczek and will be able to neutralise the challenge of the Irish. The games against Georgia and newly qualified Gibraltar, should be relatively straightforward for both the Scots and the Irish. As for Scotland, they should be aiming to pip the Republic to 3rd place. In spite of this, 4th is my prediction for Scotland, narrowly missing on that play-off position.

Group E: England, Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, San Marino

Yet again England receive a relatively easy group. Whether they can remove the complacency commonly associated with them is another thing. In my opinion, England should be aiming for an unbeaten campaign. The Swiss are the only likely team to trouble the English and Roy Hodgson can use this group as an excellent opportunity to blood some young players such as Wilfried Zaha, Raheem Sterling and Ross Barkley. With the right coaching, the future of the English team is looking bright for the foreseeable future. As for the rest of the qualifying places, I expect Switzerland to claim the second spot with Slovenia just behind in third.

Group F: Greece, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Northern Ireland, Faroe Islands

Born and bred in the greatest little country that the world has ever seen, I'm am a bit less pessimistic than I was last year. The lowest seeds of the home nations, Michael O'Neill's men will be looking to sneak a third spot in order to erase memories of a dismal World Cup qualifying campaign. While there are no 'giants' in Group F for Steven Davis and co to slay, a good tournament performance and the glory days of '82 and '86 may be revisited. 'Norn Iron' will be looking to end a dismal Euro performance in recent years and hope to qualify for their first ever Euro competition in 2016, yet it will be tough. Particularly the away games, most notably to Greece. The games against the Faroe Islands, will be targeted as 2 must win games. Belief in their national team is something that 'Our Wee Country' does not lack, however the form needs improving.

The draw has shifted the focus from the highly anticipated World Cup albeit for today, but the new format and the groups will give the smaller teams confidence in their ability to qualify for France 2016. Whether we can get all the home nations on the plane to France is unlikely, but not impossible.

Full draw:

Group A - Holland, Czech Republic, Turkey, Latvia, Iceland, Kazakhstan

Group B - Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium, Israel, Wales, Cyprus, Andorra

Group C - Spain, Ukraine, Slovakia, Belarus, Macedonia, Luxembourg

Group D - Germany, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Scotland, Georgia, Gibraltar

Group E - England, Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, San Marino

Group F - Greece, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Northern Ireland, Faroe Islands

Group G - Russia, Sweden, Austria, Montenegro, Moldova, Liechtenstein

Group H - Italy, Croatia, Norway, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Malta

Group I - Portugal, Denmark, Serbia, Armenia, Albania, France*

*France qualify as hosts, but will play friendlies against teams in Group I. There will be no points awarded for games in which France figure, so these will have no affect on the Group I table.

Qualifiers to be played between September 7, 2014 and October 13, 2015. Play-off matches to be played in November 2015.

My Prediction:

England - 1st

Scotland - 4th

Wales - 3rd (defeat in play offs)

Northern Ireland - 3rd (qualify) (Because I'm an optimist!)

Republic of Ireland - 3rd (qualify)