Who are the UCL Group Stage Favourites?

The UEFA Champions League is about to kick off again, and one of the biggest club football tournaments in the world is set to grace our screens once more. The question on everybody’s mind is who will go home with the trophy?

With the groups already announced and the favourites becoming clear, betting on the group stages looks like an obvious choice. This post will go through each group and which teams are most likely to make it to the next step of the competition.

Group A

PSG and Manchester City were drawn in Group A, and considering the players they have at their disposal, it is almost guaranteed that they will be the ones finishing first and second. While RB Leipzig and Club Brugge could put up a fight, they are going to struggle.

City has been one of the best teams in the world for a few years now, but this will also be the first time Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe will all be playing together. While PSG and City will most likely finish on top, it is almost impossible to call first and second.

Group B

Group B is being described as the Group of Death, and it is easy to see why. AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, and Liverpool all find themselves in the same group, with Porto as the fourth team.

Out of those three giants, AC Milan will likely be the team that will struggle the most, along with Porto. This group will be decided by whichever of these teams loses first, as winning all your games looks to be the only way to guarantee a spot in the next stage of the competition.

Group C

Group C is an exciting mix of teams with only one standout favourite. Borussia Dortmund will most likely be first in the group as they have the goal-scoring machine Erling Halaand at their disposal.

Second place will be where the real fight is. Ajax, Besiktas, and Sporting CP all can win and beat each other. While first place is almost determined already, there is no telling who will take that second spot.

Group D

Group D is, on the surface, a very straightforward group to call. Inter Milan has been in sublime form of late, and Real Madrid is still one of the world’s best teams. Shakhtar and Sheriff may be in for a nightmare of a time.

As to who might finish top of the group, Real Madrid is likely the favourite, but Inter Milan could pull off a group win. This is another group where the top two are almost inevitable, but who can beat who will indicate their potential to go further in the competition.

Group E

Barcelona and Bayern Munich are the big teams in Group E. Bayern have been a juggernaut in Europe as of late. The 2020 winners are hoping to lift the trophy again, and with Robert Lewandowski being on top form as he is, their chances are good.

The biggest competition in their group is Barcelona. We don’t know how much the loss of Leo Messi will affect Barcelona, and their abysmal state behind the scenes could be a crucial factor in their success this season. If Memphis Depay and Luuk De Jong can click, Barcelona could go very far in the tournament.

Group F

Group F has one clear favourite, Manchester United, with Atalanta, Villareal, and Young Boys all having a shot at taking second place. Young Boys will struggle the most, however, and depending on how other results go, Atalanta and Villareal will most likely battle for second.

This group could also offer up a few shock results. Villareal has transformed under Unai Emery, and if they go ahead, they can completely shut down and stop a team like United from scoring. Atalanta will have the same strategy, which means that the favourites will still have work to do.

 

Group G

Group G is another group without a clear favourite. Lille, Salzburg, and Sevilla will be fighting for the top spot. Even though Wolfsburg is doing well in the Bundesliga this season, they will struggle to stay at the top of their game domestically and in Europe.

Lille will likely finish at the top of the group, but Sevilla could throw a spanner into the works. Like Lille, Sevilla is doing well domestically, and if they can take that form into Europe, they have a real shot of making it out of the group stages.

Group H

Group H is where you will find the defending champions, Chelsea, along with Italian giants Juventus. Malmo and Zeni are the third and fourth teams in the group, and that is also where they are most likely to finish.

Chelsea have been in great form since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel, and Juventus have been bossing Serie A, but we don’t know how losing Cristiano Ronaldo will affect them just yet. Still, Zenit and Malmo just aren’t capable of putting in performances that will stop these two from finishing at the top of the group.