Recently, UEFA has identified 32 names that will enter the group stage of the Champions League 2023/24 (including 26 teams that enter directly and 8 teams that qualify for the qualifying round). As usual, the teams will be placed in 4 seed groups.
According to UEFA regulations, clubs from the same country cannot meet each other in the group stage. The teams in pot 1 are the national champions. Sevilla did not win La Liga but was placed in pot 1 because they had just won the UEFA Europa League.
During the solemn ceremony in Monaco, two guests Joe Cole and Eric Abidal took turns drawing the groups. Things became exciting right from the moment the teams in pot 2 appeared one after another.
Joe Cole was in charge of the draw, along with Eric Abidal.
Accordingly, Man Utd fell into Group A, the same group as the defending Bundesliga champion, Bayern Munich. Man City were luckier when they only met their old acquaintance RB Leipzig in pot 2. Arsenal’s board could also be pleased that they fell into Group B, along with Europa League winners Sevilla.
The two Spanish teams, Real Madrid and Barca, fall into two different extremes. The La Liga champion meets Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and rookie Royal Antwerp, a representative of Belgium. Xavi’s team has just had an addition called Cancelo and obviously, they have certain ambitions in the Champions League arena.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid is considered to fall into a more difficult group. Napoli reached the Quarterfinals of the Champions League last season, and Union Berlin is an extremely unpleasant team at home.
Contrasting with other German teams playing on fire, Union Berlin always puts the defensive element first. At home in the Bundesliga last year, Union Berlin never tasted defeat. Obviously, the experience of coming to An der Alten Försterei will not be easy for the big teams.
However, all of the above groups cannot compare to Group F, where PSG, Dortmund, AC Milan and Newcastle appear.
Newcastle’s best performance in the Champions League is only second in the group stage of the 2002/03 season. They are an unknown in the European arena after a successful season at the hands of Eddie Howe. This young leader is expected to bring interesting surprises to this year’s group stage.
With PSG, they have had an extremely volatile summer. After parting with Lionel Messi and Neymar, the representative of Ligue I is said to be no longer as strong as before. However, when led by the talented coach Luis Enrique, the future of PSG is still quite bright.
Of course, Dortmund and AC Milan cannot be underestimated. These two teams have passed the group stage last season and are ready to beat the giants.
Below are 8 specific groups in the Champions League group stage this season:
This year’s tournaments are quite interesting.
Ngoa Long | 01:09 September 1, 2023
