Champions League draw: 5 storylines to watch for during the group stage

The Champions League group stage, which features 32 of Europe’s best teams, has finally been set. Here are five storylines to watch for this season. 

The Champions League, Europe’s top competition and the biggest club tournament on the planet, officially began Thursday with the group stage draw.

The tournament’s 32 teams, divided into eight groups of four, will contend for the prize of being the best team in Europe. The top two teams from each group, 16 in all, advance to the knockout stage.

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Group A, where Manchester City is the top seed, is the toughest (the “Group of Death” at this edition) since it also features Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig and Club Brugge. Expect some mouthwatering action there.

Among the favorites are PSG, who recently acquired Lionel Messi from Barcelona, and Manchester City, who are trying to lure Cristiano Ronaldo away from Juventus. Both teams, despite having oodles of money, have been unable to win the trophy. Chelsea, on the other hand, did capture the title last season, defeating Man City in the final.

The Champions League kicks off on Sept. 14. The final is set for next May 28 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Here are five storylines to watch for during this fall’s group stage.

5. Chelsea will lay a strong claim to repeat as champions

The English club surprised many by winning the Champions League last season, but it was a well-deserved win. Chelsea, under manager Thomas Tuchel, look even stronger this season after the club acquired striker Romelu Lukaku.

Chelsea are in Group H with Juventus, another team that can contend for the top spot. It’s expected to be a competitive group, but Chelsea could still finish first given the players they have at their disposal.

4. Look for Jorginho to win the Ballon d’Or

Who will win the Ballon d’Or this season as Europe’s best player? While Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski can all make a strong argument for it, the reality is these three players have had strong seasons in the past, not necessarily a very good 2020-21 season.

The prize has most often gone to a standout player who also won a lot of titles. If that’s the case, then Italian midfielder Jorginho can make the strongest case. He helped Chelsea win the Champions League and was a key member of Italy’s European Championship crown last month. Expect him to also have a strong Champions League for the London-based club this season and those matchups against Juve (and some of his Italy teammates) should be fun to watch.

3. Champions League Group A will be the toughest for sure

Lionel Messi is no stranger to the Champions League after achieving much success at Barcelona. He is now a member of Paris Saint-Germain and the French side will place winning their first Champions League atop their priority list this season.

Of course, a failure to win it all will be seen as a disappointment. On paper, they are the heavy favorites. It remains to be seen whether this star-studded roster can come together and win it all. Like Man City, PSG are notorious for going deep, but failing to lift the trophy in the end. They both occupy Group A in a matchup worthy of a final. Messi would face Ronaldo, his former La Liga nemesis, should the Portuguese finalize a deal with Man City.

2. All the top seeds will get past the group stage

The tournament’s eight seeded teams should all get to the knockout stage. The seeded clubs are Chelsea, Villareal (the defending Europa League winners) and the winners of the six highest-ranked nations who won their respective league titles: Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Sporting CP and Lille.

Only Sporting (Group C), Villareal (Group F) and Lille (Group G) could face some issues once the group stage gets started (Villareal play Manchester United in a rematch of last season’s Europa League final), but they should all ultimately get out of their respective groups.

1. Watch out for AC Milan

The Italian club, which dominated Europe in the late 1980s and early 90s, fell on hard times in recent years. After a rebuilding effort, AC Milan has returned to the Champions League for the first time since the 2013-14 season. Placed in Group B, AC Milan could shock Liverpool and Atletico Madrid and advance as the first-place side.

The Rossoneri, who will contend for the Serie A title this season, feature some exciting players. Above all, watch out for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to light up the scoreboard. The Swedish striker (who has never won a Champions League despite his years of success) remains fit and can still bag goals when called upon to do so.

Expect the group stage to dominate the sport over the next four months and for the Champions League to once again provide us with plenty of storylines this season.