This is a historic season for participants from England. There are five teams in the group stage for the first time due to Manchester United’s qualification via their Europa League triumph, and they are also joined by Scottish champions Celtic after their admirable negotiation of the qualifiers.
Former Chelsea coach, Jose Mourinho’s side look like having a fairly comfortable return to Europe’s top table in their group. Benfica are opponents who should not be underestimated though.
Chelsea face an Atletico Madrid side dealing with a player registration ban and a rebuilding Roma, while Manchester City must beware of Napoli’s deadly attack. Shakhtar Donetsk, also had a record-breaking return to prominence under Paulo Fonseca last season.
Tottenham face a tough task with reigning Champions, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund on their way to Wembley. Celtic also have a fighting chance of a Europa League spot behind Bayern Munich and PSG, with rivals Anderlecht having started their title defence badly.
Once the competition get into the knockout stages, the picture will become less clear, as it obviously gets tougher, and one wonders if City have the defensive leadership to stand up to the very best forward lines in Europe.
Antonio Conte has yet to prove he can sustain domestic dominance and a strong Champions League campaign. Mourinho’s tactical ingenuity will be put to enormous test in the Champions League knockout stages, as they are expected to progress to that stage.
Maybe Liverpool, with new recruitment,
Mohamed Salah adding even more pace and incision to their attack, have the versatility to surprise a few. Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund always thrived by counter-attacking against teams who play on the front foot, and his current side are built in a similar fashion.
Which of these English teams do you think will get furthest in this season’s UEFA Champions League competition ?
Comments are welcome!! pls. dò so