(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Another season of the Champions League has arrived with the usual fanfare of the group stage draw, including the annual player awards. John Terry won the UEFA Club Defender of the Year award for the third straight year, but what are the chances of the Chelsea captain getting his hands on Old Big Ears after coming so close in the last three seasons?
To be in the running again Chelsea have to negotiate their way through Group D, containing a familiar face in Porto, a very offensive-minded Atletico Madrid and Champions League group stage debutants APOEL Nicosia.
On paper Chelsea should be favourites and the draw could have been worse, but is the group really going to be that easy? Football history suggests there will be surprises aplenty before the group is finished. Here is a closer look at the teams Chelsea must battle past to get to the last 16.
FC Porto
FC Porto and Chelsea are no strangers to each other, and with this draw the Portugese champions are now closing in on Liverpool and Barcelona as Chelsea’s familiar opposition in Europe. Porto narrowly lost the last encounter in 2006/7 season’s last 16, drawing 1-1 at home and losing 2-1 away at Stamford Bridge to a Michael Ballack 79th minute goal. In the 2004-5 group stage Chelsea lost—admittedly a dead rubber game from the Blues’ viewpoint—by a score of 2-1 in Porto.
Porto are always a strong team and will prove tough opposition, particularly at home with vociferous support on Matchday 5. Porto will be hoping Hulk, one of UEFA’s Top 10 rising stars who muscled his way into the Porto starting line-up last season, lives up to his namesake and gives the Chelsea back line a torrid time. The 23-year-old Brazilian links up well with fellow 23-year-old Cristian Rodriguez. The Uruguayan winger, helping to form an attacking trio with Hulk and Lisandro Lopez, has a knack of scoring unsuspecting headers. Chelsea will have to keep a wary eye on him.
Pulling the strings will be Raul Meireles, the Portugese international who has excellent passing and long-range shooting skills in his armoury.
Chelsea, though, has a more experienced squad and more quality, particularly from the bench. With Carlo Ancelotti’s European winning management, the Blues should be too strong for Porto with key players fit and on song, such as Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka. Alex, who is yet to feature in Ancelotti’s plans, could prove useful against Hulk.
VERDICT: Chelsea should pick up at least three points against Porto at home on Matchday 1 to kick off their campaign in a possibly close affair. The return fixture could be dicier, but depending on the back-to-back head to head with Atletico could be academic. Not losing, of course, would be the minimum target.
APOEL Nicosia
On first glance, with all due respect, the team from Cyprus looks to be the "points accumulator" for the other teams in the Group. The other three are all seasoned Champions League sides and arguably fairly evenly matched, while Nicosia are taking a bow this season.
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