UEFA Champions League 2010-11: Group Stage Predictions

The start of a new European Champions League season is upon us and the draw for the group stage in Monaco has laid out the fixtures for next few months. So without wasting much time let's find out the match-ups and predict the teams that'll advance to the knock-outs:

Group A

Group A: Inter Milan, Werder Bremen, Tottenham Hotspurs, FC Twente

The reigning European champions have been assigned a fairly competitive group but given the immense quality in their squad, they are almost certain to advance to the next round. The real competition lies in the fight for that 2^nd spot in the group. Tottenham’s fast paced football brought down Chelsea and Arsenal last season and their attacking playing style should help them win against Bremen and Twente at White Hart Lane. If they can salvage a couple of draws in their away games then Harry Redknapp's side may well be on it's way to the knock-outs.

Prediction:

1. Inter

2. Tottenham

3. Werder Bremen

4. Twente  

Star Players: Sneijder, Eto'o, Milito, Bale, Crouch, Marin, Pizarro 

Key Match: Inter v Tottenham

Group B

Group B: Lyon, Benfica, Schalke, Hapoel Tel Aviv

Last year’s French semi-finalists, Lyon, will be looking to emulate a similar run in the Champions League. Thankfully for them, a Real Madrid team looking for revenge has not been placed in the same group as them and they can realistically see themselves move to the next round. Benfica too will have their tails up after a decent run in the Europa League and with names like Cardozo, Aimar and Saviola, they too are more than capable of going through. If Schalke are to challenge the Portuguese and the French outfits, they’ll need Neuer and Raul to bring their A games in all 6 matches.

Prediction:

1. Benfica

2. Lyon

3. Schalke

4. Hapoel Tel Aviv

Star Players: Gourcuff, Lloris, Lopez, Cardozo, Saviola, Raul, Neuer

Key Match: Lyon v Benfica

Group C

Group C: Manchester United, Valencia, Rangers, Bursaspor

The English Giants who’ve had an immaculate run in Europe in the past few years will be fairly confident of progressing through to the knock-outs. Sir Alex has not addressed the issue of lack of creativity in his midfield but if Paul Scholes can replicate his spectacular form in Europe, there shouldn’t be any doubts about who’ll be topping the group. Valencia has lost some big players in the form of David Villa and David Silva and that should be a good enough reason for the Rangers to be confident against them. A trip to Ibrox will not be easy for any of the 3 teams and the Glasgow outfit has the capacity to upset Valencia away from home.

Prediction:

1. Manchester United

2. Rangers

3. Valencia

4. Bursaspor

Star Players: Rooney, Nani, Scholes, Edu, Beattie, Mata, Costa

Key Match: Manchester United vs Rangers

Group D

Group D: FC Barcelona, Panathinaikos, FC Copenhagen, Rubin Kazan

Just like Group A, there won’t be any doubt about the team that will win this group. Having gone down to Inter Milan in dramatic fashion in last year’s competition, the Catalan outfit will be raring to go right from Game 1. With the additions of Mascherano and Villa, they are favorites not just to win this group but the entire competition. Rubin Kazan can match even the best and they showed that last year by causing a massive upset at Camp Nou. If they bring consistency to their game and especially against the likes of Copenhagen and Panathinaikos, they should progress to next stage along with Barcelona. Playing in Russia during the tail end of the year is something that most teams don’t relish and there lies the advantage for them. However, it’s tough to bet against a Panathinaikos line up that contains Cisse, Gilberto and Govou.

Prediction:

1. Barcelona

2. Panathinaikos

3. Rubin Kazan

4. Copenhagan

Star Players: Messi, Villa, Xavi, Iniesta, Govou, Gilberto

Key Match: Panathinaikos v Rubin Kazan

Group E

Group E: Bayern Munich, AS Roma, FC Basel, CFR Cluj

The German champions will be playing relatively easy ties to advance to the next stage. They’ll be hoping that Robben stays fit during this year’s campaign and Ribery too doesn’t get into clumsy tackles. If Bayern are to rely on the defensive prowess of Van Buyten, Demichelis and Badstuber, they better pack their bags early as this unit is incapable of facing fast paced counter attacking football. It’s not every time they’ll face a 10 man United team at the Theater of Dreams, or face Lyon in Semis, or have Van Bommel on the pitch despite making kung fu tackles against half of the opponents. Roma will present a stiff challenge for that top spot.Claudio Ranieri has plenty of experience in Europe and a talented outfit like theirs should be looking at a Quarters berth at the very least.

Prediction:

1. Bayern Munich

2. AS Roma

3. Basel

4. Cluj

Star Players: Robben, Ribery, Olic, Adriano, De Rossi, Baptista, Totti

Key Match: Bayern Munich v Roma

Group F

Group F: Chelsea, Marseille, Spartak Moscow, MSK Zilina

After last season’s disappointing end to their European campaign, Ancelotti will be looking to get the blues their first European crown. With quality players who have plenty of European experience under their belt, John Terry and gang will be amongst the favorites to lift the cup. Marseille will be looking forward to facing their former striker, Didier Drogba, and will look to test Chelsea’s defense with players like Ben Arfa, Gignac and Remy.

Prediction:

1. Chelsea

2. Marseille

3. Spartak Moscow

4. Zilina

Star Players: Drogba, Lampard, Malouda, Essien, Ben Arfa, Remy, Gignac

Key Match: Chelsea v Marseille

Group G

Group G: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Ajax, Auxerre

On we come to the group that shall present the most exciting games till December. Let’s call it the Group of Death. In reality, that is what it is. AC Milan will be trying to lay off the tag of “Over Age Team” after they were humiliated by the Red Devils last season. No longer can they rely on Ronaldinho and Pirlo to provide that attacking zip to the team. If the rumored transfer of Ibra is to go ahead, he shall certainly form a good partnership with Pato and Huntelaar. In my opinion, they still lack a quality goalkeeper and a ruthless defender who can provide support to a resurgent Nesta. But playing against the Galacticos II and the revamped Ajax will not be something they wished before the draw. Jose Mourinho has got his desired recruits and will be hoping to put together the Best XI rather than the XI Best that we saw last year. CR7 will have to up his game and it will be interesting how he performs in tandem with a midfield that contains Kaka, Di Maria and Ozil. Ajax on the other hand will be relying on the new Hand of God, Suarez, to produce the goods for them. Their squad sheet contains a host of players who played in the World Cup and there is no shortage of experience in their line-up. The four time European champions have made a grand comeback to the biggest stage in club football after 5 years and they could turn out to be the Dark Horses of this year’s campaign.

Prediction:

1. Real Madrid

2. Ajax

3. AC Milan

4. Auxerre

Key Match: Real Madrid v AC Milan

Star Players: Ronaldo, Kaka, Di Maria, Ronaldinho, Pirlo, Pato, Suarez

Group H

Group H: Arsenal, Shakhtar Donetsk, SC Braga, FK Partisan

Last but not the least, Arsenal find themselves in a group that promises to have a few exciting matches. The gunners can consider themselves a touch unlucky after they fought bravely against Barcelona in last year’s Quarters. Many experts feel that with a fit line up containing Fabregas, Van Persie, Arshavin and Gallas, Arsenal could have been a completely different ball game in the 2ng leg. But having been knocked out of the competition at crucial junctions in the past, like Chelsea they too will be looking to add their 1^st European title to the trophy cabinet. In-coming players like Chamakh and Squillaci should be able to help them immensely in this year’s effort. Joining Arsenal in Group H will be debutants SC Braga. Nicknamed “Little Arsenal”, Braga will have some attacking football on display and their intentions were clear as they embarassed Sevilla during the qualifying round. Despite Eduardo’s acquisition, Shakhtar will find hard to overcome the Gunners and the Portuguese newcomers.

Prediction:

1. Arsenal

2. Braga

3. Shakhtar

4. Partisan

Star Players: Fabregas, Van Persie, Arshavin, Lima, Eduardo

Key Match: Braga v Arsenal