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The Champions League is back, and it’s coming back strong, after the 2020-21 group stage draw concluded in Geneva on Thursday. The top line? A showdown between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi when Juventus and Barcelona were paired in Group G, in a game that could also see fans inside the stadium after UEFA confirmed that the grounds may be up to 30 percent full for parties if local regulations permit. The standout pair from the group stage also features an American subplot with their American teammates Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest pitting against each other.
Champions League draw: Messi vs. Ronaldo like Barça, Juve is
Given that Italian champion Juve and La Liga runner-up Barcelona have not met competitively since November 2017, the Group G matchups will see Ronaldo and Messi renew their rivalry on the field for the first time since the Portuguese forward left. Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018.
Ronaldo and Messi have played each other 33 times in competitive club matches, and Barcelona’s Messi has so far come out in the top 15, with Ronaldo winning nine times at previous clubs like Real and Manchester United. The two men have dominated the Champions League, with Ronaldo winning five European Cups, two more than Messi. Ronaldo also tops the all-time scoring charts with 130, 15 more than Messi, his closest rival.
But while the confrontation between the two biggest stars in football is the headline of the Juventus v. Barcelona the game could also see two of the USMNT’s brightest talents take the stage. Juventus midfielder McKennie completed a summer transfer to Turin from Schalke, while defender Dest has just sealed a permanent transfer to Barcelona from Ajax.
Done deal! USMNT Dest joins Barcelona
Outside of Group G, defending champions Bayern Munich have qualified in Group A against Atlético de Madrid, FC Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow. And Group H promises to be the most unpredictable, with last season’s runners-up Paris Saint-Germain paired with Manchester United, RB Leipzig and Istanbul Basaksehir.
So, with the group stages starting Oct. 20-21, ESPN has assessed how they will shake up and which teams will advance to the knockout stages.
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GROUP A: Bayern Munich, Atlético de Madrid, RB Salzburg, Lokomotiv Moscow
German and Champions League champions Bayern will be a huge favorite to reach the knockout stages, with Atlético Madrid and FC Salzburg likely to battle for second place in the group.
Salzburg have lost Erling Haaland and Takumi Minamino since almost advancing past the group stage last season, but the Austrian champions have proven masters of recruiting and rebuilding. Atlético should not underestimate the threat they will pose, even with their new attacking partner Diego Costa and Luis Suárez.
Lokomotiv Moscow, which finished runner-up to Zenit St. Petersburg in the Russian Premier League, finished last in their group, winning just once, in last season’s competition and this time they face the same fate.
TO ADVANCE: Bayern Munich, Atlético de Madrid
ESSENTIAL MATCH: The two games between Bayern and Atlético will not only represent the best of the group, but will also give a genuine look at how well they are built for the alleged pressure of the knockout rounds. In addition, it will be fun to see Luis Suárez, now in Diego Simeone’s first eleven, and Joao Félix exchanging blows with Bayern’s fearsome forward body. (Oh, and they no longer have astute veterans like Diego Godín to hold down Atlético’s rear.)
1:23
ESPN FC’s Alejandro Moreno discusses Real Madrid’s painstaking 1-0 win over Real Valladolid.
On paper, Real Madrid appear to be the favorites to qualify, but it is a balanced group, with each team able to outperform each other.
Zinedine Zidane’s Real should lead the pack, but Internazionale are an emerging force again under Antonio Conte, with goals from Romelu Lukaku that led the team to the final of last season’s Europa League. Ukrainian champions Shakhtar are seasoned players in the Champions League and a dangerous opponent, particularly in Ukraine, while Mönchengladbach has become one of the leading teams in Germany under coach Marco Rose.
TO ADVANCE: Real Madrid, Inter
ESSENTIAL MATCH: Inter Milan vs. Borussia Monchengladbach might not sound like much, but it will be a tactical battle and, most likely, the games that determine who joins Real in the round of 16. Conte and Inter have enough talent, front to back, to advance, but Gladbach’s attacking flow will unsettle everyone in Europe as it does in Germany.
Portugal’s champions, FC Porto, are the top seeded team in Group C, but the reality is that Manchester City will comfortably be the team to beat in this section. Pep Guardiola’s team, which was surprisingly eliminated by Lyon in the quarter-finals in Lisbon last season, should go through this group.
Marseille, coached by former Porto, Chelsea and Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas, will back their chances of exiting the group, especially if they are able to recreate the typically hostile atmosphere inside the Stade Velodrome with a limited number of fans on the ground. .
TO ADVANCE: Man City, Marseille
ESSENTIAL MATCH: Porto vs Marseille will be the fight for second place, but also an opportunity for Villas-Boas, who won the Europa League with Porto in 2010-11, to show how far he has come in his career after two concerts in the Premier League. .
GROUP D: Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta BC, FC Midtjylland
Liverpool should progress comfortably in the group. Ajax and Atalanta, the surprise packages from the last two Champions League campaigns, could make life difficult for Jurgen Klopp’s team at home, but even without the backing of a loud and passionate Anfield, Liverpool will be too strong for their rivals. .
As for Midtjylland, they hope to cause a surprise by finishing third and qualifying for the Europa League in their first appearance in the group stage of the Champions League.
TO ADVANCE: Liverpool, Atalanta
ESSENTIAL MATCH: With all due respect to Ajax, seeing the attacking forces of Liverpool and Atalanta combine will be the thrill of Group D. Both teams have a fearsome array of scoring weapons and both sides like to force their mark on any opponent. Will either side dare to back down?
GROUP E: Seville, Chelsea, Krasnodar, Rennes
Europa League winners Sevilla and Chelsea will hope to battle for the top two positions in what appears to be the easiest group to emerge from the draw. This is a group of wingers, as two clubs with a strong European pedigree will face two others, Stade Rennais and Krasnodar, who will make their first appearance in the group stage of the Champions League.
Both Stade Rennais and Krasnodar sealed their qualification for the competition by finishing third in their national leagues, so Sevilla manager Unai Emery and Chelsea manager Frank Lampard will calmly believe they have achieved a dream draw .
TO ADVANCE: Seville, Chelsea
ESSENTIAL MATCH: Sevilla’s good faith in Europe is difficult to dispute, but this will be the moment when Chelsea expect their new signings, such as Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, to show their class given their extensive experience in this competition. Tune in and watch the fun.
Borussia Dortmund will be the favorite to lead this group, especially if Manchester United target Jadon Sancho remains at the club to take advantage of his forward partnership with Erling Haaland.
Simone Inzaghi’s Lazio will also be hopeful of reaching the round of 16, with Russian champion Zenit of St. Petersburg often struggling to repeat national form in the Champions League. Second place is likely to be a two-way battle between Lazio and Zenit, with Club Brugge doing the numbers.
TO ADVANCE: Dortmund, Lazio
1:02
Matteo Bonetti says he cannot pick Juventus for the Serie A title until a true challenger emerges.
GROUP G: Juventus, Barcelona, Dynamo Kyiv, Ferencvaros
All eyes will be on the two days in which Ronaldo and Messi meet, because in reality it is a group of two heavyweights and two minnows, in the Dynamo Kiev and Ferencvaros.
Both Kiev and Hungarian champions Ferencvaros have a proud history in European competition, but in terms of the modern era, they are likely to battle for third place and a place in the Europa League, while the two greats they fight for the top spot. Barcelona’s 8-2 collapse against Bayern Munich in last season’s quarter-finals highlighted the problems at the Camp Nou, so Juventus is expected to overshadow head-to-head matches.
TO ADVANCE: Juventus, Barcelona
ESSENTIAL MATCH: Juventus vs. Barcelona. Do we need to say more?
1:06
Gab Marcotti claims that Man United are in one of the toughest UCL groups alongside PSG and RB Leipzig.
GROUP H: Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, RB Leipzig, Istanbul Basaksehir
A great club will fall by the wayside in this group, with Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and RB Leipzig fighting for the two qualifying spots.
PSG, powered by Kylian Mbappé and Neymar, will be the team to beat, but United’s three forwards, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood, also have goals. Leipzig will miss out on goals from Timo Werner after his summer transfer to Chelsea, but they have latched onto defensive rock Dayot Upamecano.
Istanbul Basaksehir, making their first appearance in the Champions League, will also be an uncomfortable opponent and the rankings could depend on which teams get the most points from the Turkish champions.
TO ADVANCE: PSG, Man United
ESSENTIAL MATCH: PSG and RB Leipzig is a repeat of this summer’s one-legged semi-final, which the French team won with ease thanks to goals from Marquinhos, Angel Di Maria and Juan Bernat. Will it be different this time?
