Julien Laurens and Gab Marcotti break down the UCL draw, and discuss the possibility for Messi to renew their rivalry. (2:26).
After Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City were paired in Group A, Lionel Messi will take on Pep Guardiola in a thrilling Champions League match.
City and PSG, two of the Champions League's losing finalist teams, have invested large sums in player recruitment to try to overcome their mutual desire to win the competition. After completing a surprise move to France earlier this month, Messi, who was close to leaving Barcelona in favor of City, will be heading to the Etihad Stadium along with PSG.
- Champions League draw: Man City and PSG drawn in Group C
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Former Champions League winners Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijaldum also made the move to Paris. Gianluigi Donnarumma (left) and Achraf Hakimi (right) have joined Mauricio Pochettino’s elite squad. City has also been active in the market, signing 100m star midfielder Jack Grealish (Aston Villa) Even though Spurs forward Harry Kane decided to leave his hope of moving to the Etihad, the window closed on Aug. 31. Sources have informed ESPN that Guardiola is close to signing a deal with Juventus to take Ronaldo, a former Manchester United player.
City and PSG must defeat RB Leipzig and Club Brugge in Group A, which is the most difficult of the eight groups.
Three former Champions League winners, Liverpool, Porto, and AC Milan, were drawn in the draw alongside Spanish champions Atletico Madrid. Bayern Munich and Barcelona will be competing for the top spot in Group E. Meanwhile, Sheriff Tiraspol, the Moldovan champions, will make their debut in competition with matches against Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Real Madrid.
How will it all unfold? These are our predictions for each stage.
GROUP A
Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain RB Leipzig Club Brugge
This group could be the one that wins, with City and PSG among the favorites to reach the final in Saint Petersburg next April. However, don't discount RB Leipzig as a danger outsider capable of challenging the two major clubs from England or France.
Jesse Marsch, the American coach, has been given the difficult task of replacing Julian Nagelsmann at Leipzig. However, the team that beat PSG in the group stage last season is still intact with the exception of Dayot Upamecano (deceased defender) and Ibrahima Konate (deceased defender).
City could land Ronaldo to replace Sergio Aguero at Barcelona. However, goals could prove a problem if they fail to sign a striker by the August 31 deadline. PSG will likely be without Kylian Maappe, if he moves to Real Madrid. However, their attacking depth means they are the favourites to win the group.
Teams to Advance: Man City, PSG
Pep Guardiola and Man City weren't likely to be playing PSG so soon, but that shouldn't stop them from making deep in the Champions League knockout round. Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
GROUP B
Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Porto, AC Milan
This group is brimming with Champions League pedigree -- Liverpool Milan, Porto and Milan have won 15 European Cups/Champions Leagues each -- but current-day form and strength points to Liverpool and Atletico claiming the top two spots.
Sergio Conceicao, Porto coach, has created a competitive and tough team at Estadio do Dragao. They reached the quarterfinals last season but Liverpool and Atleti are expected to be too strong for them. Milan's coach Stefano Pioli has lost Gianluigi Donnarumma, their goalkeeper, to PSG. However, Zlatan Ibrahimovic continues scoring goals, and summer signings Olivier Giroud, and Fikayo Tomori will make them more competitive.
Although it will be close as all four teams can take points from each other if they pay attention, it will surprise if Atleti and Liverpool fail to qualify.
Teams to Advance: Liverpool, Atletico Madrid
GROUP C
Sporting was able to claim a spot among the top seeds after winning the first Portuguese title in 19-years last season. However, Borussia Dortmund will be the strongest group.
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After last season's impressive performances, the German team managed to keep Erling Haaland. Jadon Sancho moved on to Manchester United. However, Jude Bellingham and Gio Rena will continue to be key players.
Ajax has also managed to resist the advances of Erik ten Hag, a highly-rated coach. The Dutch champions are strong enough for them to challenge for qualification. Besiktas, the Turkish champions, are often group stage qualifiers and struggle to advance to the knockout stages. This season will not be any different.
Ajax, Dortmund: Teams that will advance
GROUP D
Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, FC Sheriff Tiraspol
Inter Milan is the "seeded team" in this group, having won Serie A last year. However, they have lost coach Antonio Conte as well as leading scorer Romelu Lukaku. Lautaro Martinez could also be leaving the club before the transfer deadline. This means that the Champions League 2010 winners could be eliminated at the group stage.
Real Madrid is always successful, even though last season was more difficult than others. Carlo Ancelotti's team will again qualify. They proved their worth by defeating Monaco in the playoff round. Shakhtar, however, are always a threat to any team. They will be challenging for qualification.
Sheriff Tiraspol will be pleased to have a point. But the biggest achievement for the Moldovan champions, however, is just reaching the group stage.
Teams to Advance: Real Madrid, Shakhtar
GROUP E
Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Benfica, FC Dynamo Kyiv
Bayern Munich should be proud of another group that is rich in Champions League history.
The German champions are unbeaten at home in the competition since Oct. 2017. They will be facing Barcelona for the first-time since their 8-2 win over Lisbon in the 2020 quarterfinal. Barca's performance at the highest level has been questioned by the departure of Lionel Messi, Camp Nou's summer player. Ronald Koeman's team has quality but is not as good as Bayern. Therefore, Barcelona will be fighting to qualify for Round 16.
Dynamo and Benfica have been strengthened by the signing of Roman Yaremchuk from Ukraine. However, both clubs will be prepared to exploit Barcelona's weakness.
Teams to Advance: Bayern, Barcelona
GROUP F
Villarreal, Manchester United, Atalanta, BSC Young Boys
Manchester United is an unpredictable group. Their history and squad depth suggest they should be in the top spot. However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been inconsistent in Europe in recent seasons making it difficult to qualify for the Champions League.
Villarreal has beaten United in the Europa League final last season and will be difficult to beat again. Atalanta, on the other hand, have proven themselves to be world-beaters, or just-in-between, depending on how they feel over the two Champions League campaigns. Former Huddersfield coach David Wagner has managed Swiss champions Young Boys. They have U.S. forward Jordan Siebatcheu, but it is open to all.
Man United, Villarreal are two of the teams that will advance
GROUP G
Since winning the title last year, Lille lost Christophe Galtier, their coach to Nice. They also saw Boubakary Soumare, defender, and Mike Maigan depart for AC Milan and Leicester. Timothy Weah will be able to impress in this competition. Sevilla, Lille, Salzburg, and Wolfsburg will all compete for the runners-up spot.
Lille's summer losses will make them the most vulnerable group in the competition. They will likely struggle to get through this group.
Teams to Advance: Sevilla, Wolfsburg
GROUP H
Chelsea, Juventus, Zenit St. Petersburg, Malmo
Chelsea have increased their chances of winning the Champions League by signing Romelu from Inter Romelu Lukaku this summer. They will be favorites to win this group, with Juventus joining them in round 2. However, if Juve let Cristiano Ronaldo go before the transfer deadline it could mean Massimiliano Allegri's teams are left struggling to score goals in the group.
What does that mean? Russian champions Zenit are a perennial underachievers at the group stages. Malmo, on the other hand, will be an outsider after beating Rangers and Ludogorets.
The group's weakness could prove to be Juventus’s salvation in the end, but Chelsea should still win.
Teams to Advance: Chelsea, Juventus
