In typically glamorous fashion — with world soccer legends Wesley Sneijder and Petr Cech on stage providing assistance, and awards drawing current superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the audience — UEFA conducted its annual draw to set the lineup for the Champions League group round.
There were no overwhelming surprises, at least until Messi and Ronaldo were “upset” by Liverpool FC defender Virgil van Dijk for the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award.
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But the draw did set the lineup for what should be another scintillating Champions League competition.
This is how it all breaks down:
UEFA Champions League draw
Group of Death: FC Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, F.C. Internazionale, SK Slavia Prague in Group F. The representatives of Slavia Praha chuckled in the audience when they saw the company they would be keeping. They won a qualifying playoff over CFR Cluj to get here, and now they’re looking at facing three European powers. But those powers know that one of them will be, at best, shipped off to the Europa League after the group stage. Barca has won eight of the past 11 La Liga titles. Dortmund pushed Bayern Munich to the final day in Germany’s Bundesliga and has one of the planet’s bright, rising stars in Jadon Sancho. Inter finished tied for third in Serie A last year, but added Diego Godin to fortify an already strong defense and Romelu Lukaku to punch up an offense that fizzled too often last season.
Easiest group: FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, S.L. Benfica, Olympique Lyonnais, RB Leipzig in Group G. The first group of teams comprises the champions of last year’s UCL and Europa Leagues, along with the winners of the continent’s six highest-ranked leagues. There’s a bit of a drop-off between the fifth and sixth, though. Zenit has made the Champions League round of 16 twice in this decade. Benfica is a two-time winner, but that was nearly 60 years ago. Lyon finished third in France’s Ligue 1, 19 points behind winner Paris Saint-Germain.
Easiest draw: Manchester City in Group C, joined by Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta B.C. This is Atalanta’s first-ever appearance in Champions League. Dinamo has been in the group stage four times this decade — and finished last in its group every time. Shakhtar is the most accomplished of the bunch, having played in the group stages eight times this decade, reached the round of 16 four of those — and lost then by a combined score of 20-5.
Defending champs’ road: Liverpool is in Group E with Napoli, RB Salzburg and K.R.C. Genk. LFC has made the past two finals and won it all in 2019. As reigning champions, the Reds went into Pot A and thus were positioned to have a less demanding draw than in either of the two previous years. That’s how it turned out, but the clubs from less imposing nations (Austria, Belgium) both have excelled. Salzburg is off to a tremendous start, with 22 goals scored and three conceded through five victories. Genk won the Jupiler League by seven points over Club Brugge, which also qualified for the group stage.
Team that could surprise: Olympiacos played its way into Group B through the qualifying portion of the tournament, defeating Istanbul Basaksehir by a 3-0 aggregate score. The roster comprising mainly Greek nationals has gotten a dose of Portuguese talent thanks to manager Pedro Martins, who took over in 2018. Goalkeeper Jose Sa and defender Ruben Semedo were huge contributors to the playoff win. With Tottenham struggling early this season, there might be an opportunity for Olympiacos to reach the Champions League round of 16 for the first time since 2013-14.
Player to watch: Antoine Griezmann, forward, FC Barcelona. Griezmann has 21 career goals in 51 Champions League games with Atletico Madrid, but the team reached one final and one semifinal in five years. Those were terrific performances for Atletico, but let’s be honest: A semifinal loss for Barca in 2020 would represent another disaster. They’ve made the final only once since 2012 — which became a victory over Juventus in 2015. Rival Real Madrid has won the tournament four times in that period. Griezmann arrives to a club where winning the league has become routine, but conquering Europe is the real goal. There’ll be significant pressure on him to help make that happen.
Potential breakout player: Nuno Tavares, left back, Benfica. Tavares won’t turn 20 until midway through the 2019-20 season. He is a dynamic defender who excels at attacking down the field with a powerful left leg and a deft touch. He also uses his footwork to effectively disarm offensive players. He can play on either side of the field, but his ability to cross makes him more of a threat on the left-hand side. Tavares has two assists and a goal through three games of the Portuguese Liga season. This is his first season with Benfica’s senior team.
Canadians to watch: Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich, forward. Davies has been making the game-day roster for Bayern, appearing as a substitute in Germany’s Supercup and in Bayern’s opening game in the Bundesliga.
Americans to watch: Sergino Dest, Ajax, defender. Dest excelled for the United States squad at the FIBA U20 World Cup and has accepted a call-up for the USMNT September friendlies. He started at right back in Ajax’ Champions League qualifier Wednesday, played a role in the clinching goal buildup and was named player of the match by the team’s fans.
Christian Pulisic, Chelsea, forward. Pulisic is a Champions League veteran, having played regularly in the tournament during his time at Borussia Dortmund. He made 22 appearances in three years, scored two goals and produced two assists.
Timothy Weah, Lille, forward. Weah played for his new French club in each of its first two games, going 68 minutes in a 2-1 season-opening victory over FC Nantes, but he picked up a muscle injury in training prior to the third game.
Tyler Adams, RB Leipzig, midfielder. Adams made an enormous impact in Red Bull’s midfield after joining in the winter transfer window, but he continues to battle an abdominal injury.
Jesse Marsch, head coach, RB Salzburg. He began as a head coach in MLS with Montreal. After four seasons as head coach of Red Bull New York, Marsch was given the opportunity to move to Europe and coach in Austria’s top league. He transitioned with one year as an assistant coach, then was named to the top spot in June. He set a record by winning his first five games in Austria’s Bundesliga.
Groups:
A: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray
B: Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspur, Olympiacos, Red Star
C: Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta
D: Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lokomotiv Moscow
E: Liverpool FC, Napoli, RB Salzburg and Genk
F: FC Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Slavia Prague
G: Zenit Saint Petersburg, Benfica, Lyon, RB Leipzig
H: Chelsea, Ajax, Valencia, Lille
