Istanbul: The UEFA Champions League is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated leagues across the globe. The competition unites the top clubs of Europe in search of the best one. The UEFA held the annual group stage pot draw for UEFA Champions League 2022/23 today at Istanbul, Turkey . Swipe down to find who is in the Groups, The Top Ranked and whom we think will qualify.
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Group A
Teams: Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, Rangers
Top Ranked: Liverpool(2)
Group A has little to no competition for the former champions Liverpool. Liverpool is expected to squeeze through the group quite easily despite their recent performance. On the other hand, Ajax and Napoli will be fighting tooth and nail to ensure a Round of 16 appearances. Ajax is however expected to stay on top. Rangers, a relatively inexperienced side at the recent Champions Leagues might stay in fourth place.
Group B
Teams: Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Club Brugge, Porto F C,
Top Ranked: Atletico Madrid (9)
Atletico is definitely expected to top the group. The target set by the team would not be any more different. The real fight will take place between the other three. Bayer Leverkusen and Club Brugge have the lower chances considering Porto’s recent fame and play. However, it is Champions League and a dark horse is a must. There’s a huge chance of a dark horse rising from Group B.
Group C
Teams: Bayern Munich, F.C Barcelona, Inter Milan, Viktoria Plzen
Top Ranked: Bayern Munich (1)
Group C is the literal death group of the season. Three former champions will fight it out. Barcelona will be trying to qualify after the disastrous last year. The team will also be plotting revenge against the Munchen. Bayern lost their star-studded goal scorer Lewandowski to Barca at the beginning of the season. However, they are relentless in shaking the opponent’s net. Inter Milan aims to grab the trophy and return to the old glory. Viktoria Plzen will have a tight competition but a better experience.
Group D
Teams: Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille, Sporting CP, Tottenham Hotspur
Top Ranked: Tottenham Hotspur (13)
The Spurs are the favorites of Group D. The English side attempts to move up gradually and attempt at yet another trophy. The two-time UEFA Cup Winners will try to grab a major trophy and silence the naysayers. Marseille is more poised than the other two to enter the next round. However, there is no chance that is going down without a fight. Sporting CP is getting a good grip in Portugal while Frankfurt is not at all a side to be written off
Group E
Teams: AC Milan, Chelsea FC, Dinamo Zagreb, Salzburg
Top Ranked: Chelsea (5)
AC Milan and Chelsea are expected to roll over into the next session of the UEFA Champions League 2022/23. Both sides will be putting up hard fights to conquer the tabletop. Chelsea last won the title a year ago defeating fellow country rivals Manchester City in an all-English final. AC Milan, seven-time champs last held the silverware in 2007. Despite the hard fight expected from Milan, Chelsea is the favorite to top the table. Among the remaining, Salzburg is expected to overpower and finish third.
Group F
Teams: Celtic, RB Leipzig, Real Madrid, Shaktar Donetsk
Top Ranked: Real Madrid (4)
Real Madrid, the defending champions will start their title defense in Group F. Other than Leipzig, the remaining are relatively not very competitive. Real Madrid is expected to earn complete points and walk over to the Round of 16 of UEFA Champions League 2022/23 on a winning streak. However, We cannot write off the possibility of upsets. Shakhtar Donetsk is a very competitive side and is placed at 16th, above several renowned clubs in the UEFA Club Coefficient Ranking. As Los Blancos fight for title defense, we are quite certain to expect some popcorn requirement in this group for sure.
Group G
Teams: Borussia Dortmund, Copenhagen FC, Manchester City, Sevilla
Top Ranked: Manchester City (3)
Manchester City under Pep Guardiola has won it all but the celebrated trophy. The UEFA Champions League trophy seems to slip off from the Blues every time. The Manchester side will be aiming at nothing short of getting the trophy this year. Hence, without a doubt, they are the favorites of the group. Borussia Dortmund has come to the final once in the past ten years. They have lost their earlier power and prestige. Borussia, the second name in Bundesliga is now a third behind Leipzig. Sevilla, the celebrated Europa Champions will go for a couple of wins and fight for the Pre-Quarter entry
Group H
Teams: SL Benfica, Juventus, Paris Saint Germain, Maccabi Haifa
Top Ranked: Paris Saint Germain (7)
It will all come down to Juventus and PSG in Group H. Juventus has lost its winning streak and the golden run of yesteryears will shoot for its comeback. Paris Saint Germain really needs a trophy to elevate its status. Being in Ligue 1, their credibility is not very big. Well, so some great action is definitely going down in this group. Benfica will look for some major upsets against the big two. Maccabi Haifa is poised and happy about playing against some major world football icons.
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