The start of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League marks the return of Europe and the world’s premier club competition.
Last year’s competition brought a list of comebacks with dramatic endings. Some clubs performed miraculous streaks, ousting the giants from the game. The individual players put on herculean scoring performances. This season, expect more of the same with an abundance of talent across the board.
As usual in competitions full of skill, a ‘Group of death’ appears. Last year, Liverpool made light work of a tenacious group that included Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Porto. The same goes for Bayern Munich against Benfica, Barcelona and Dynamo Kyiv. The groups of death are entertaining for the spectators. However, performance frustration for the teams involved.
The teams will be very frustrated this time. Three different groups defend being the ‘Group of Death’ in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League.
Key groups of the UEFA Champions League 2022/23
Group AAjax (NED)Liverpool (ENG)Napoli (ITA)Rangers (SCO)
Last season, Ajax put together a pretty disappointing season. The club withdrew from the KNVB Cup in the final against PSV. Despite reaching the round of 16, Benfica stopped de Godenzonen. Not only that, but Ajax lost several star players. Noussair Mazraoui, Andre Onana, Ryan Gravenberch, Sebastien Haller, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico, Antony and the talented manager Erik Ten Hag are no longer with the team. Though they’ve done a decent job replacing their lost star power by getting Calvin Bassey, Steven Bergwijn and more, they may not make the deep run that Dutch fans have come to expect.
For its part, Liverpool reinforced the squad. The Reds narrowly lost to Real Madrid in last season’s Champions League final. Like Ajax, he worked to make up for his major losses. Of course, those pale in comparison to the Dutch outfit. Liverpool’s main loss came with the departure of Sadio Mané to Bayern Munich. Instead, Darwin Núñez and Fabio Carvalho arrive at Anfield in attack. Also, both Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota gave up new contracts. Despite the power of Jürgen Klopp’s side, it’s a shaky start to the season. Draws against Fulham, Crystal Palace and Everton, combined with a derby loss to Manchester United, have Liverpool behind the pace. Regardless, Anfield should be fine heading into the group stage.
At their best, Napoli are a very hectic attacking team who can shut things down at the back. At worst, it’s chaotic and leaky at the back. The 2022/23 season brought a bit of both. Devoid of star defender Kalidou Koulibaly, midfielder Fabian Ruiz and winger Lorenzo Insigne, Napoli defeated Hellas Verona 5-2. The surprise signing of Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia breaks up the Serie A playing field with his deft finish early in the season. But draws against Fiorentina and Lecce have some Napoli fans worried, especially considering the quality of Group A.
The running joke among Scottish football fans is that Rangers gifted rivals Celtic a place in the Champions League group stage. Rangers virtually took away Scotland’s club coefficient by reaching the Europa League before losing on penalties to Frankfurt. However, when the time came to claim the Scottish Premiership and secure a Champions League group stage, they relinquished top spot to Celtic, who have not made much of an impact on European football in recent seasons. However, it is not a problem for Giovanni van Brockhorst’s side, who won the Scottish Cup last season. They narrowly edged out both Union St. Gilloise and PSV to reach the group stage, avoiding what would have been a major tragedy. They lost a lot of centerpieces, like Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey, but they can come back to make a deep run in Europe’s biggest competition.
Group CBayern Munich (GER) Barcelona (ESP) Inter Milan (ITA) Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)
When everyone saw the draw for Group C, everyone’s immediate reaction was ‘Is this the group of death?’ With three of the world’s biggest clubs vying for just two knockout spots, the final day’s scenarios are certainly worthy of attention.
Barcelona is a candidate to enter the round of 16. After bolstering their squad by landing Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen on free transfers and Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Koundé for big money, they are having a mixed start to the season. They drew against the eternal candidates for relegation, Rayo Vallecano, but won against Real Sociedad and Valladolid.
However, Barça could see their cryptonite in the German powerhouses of Bayern Munich. They acquired Noussair Mazraoui, Ryan Gravenberch, Sadio Mané, Mathijs de Ligt and more in an eventful summer. They may not have defensive wall Niklas Süle behind them or star striker Robert Lewandowski, but they won a lot more than they did. With Die Roten strengthened, they dominate the Bundesliga, scoring 16 goals and conceding just two in their first four games.
Inter Milan is another team to keep in mind. Sure, they awarded the Scudetto to their cross-town rivals AC Milan, but they had a breakout season despite being overshadowed by Serie A winners. They won the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italia, both on Juventus. They also gave Liverpool their light scare after losing 2-1 on aggregate to the eventual finalists. Not only that, but they signed Andre Onana, Robin Gosens, Joaquin Correa and Romelu Lukaku. They could definitely make it to the semi-finals or further.
Viktoria Plzen, the fourth team in Group C, is anything but an afterthought. The Czech club beat the likes of Slavia Prague and Sparta Prague to win the Czech First League and secure a place in the Champions League qualifying rounds. Although lackluster performances in the Czech Cup and Conference League cost them the notoriety we see in other underdogs, they can still steal some points from Europe’s elite.
HPSG Group (FRA)Juventus (ITA)Benfica (POR)Maccabi Haifa (ISR)
Group H has three teams with a lot to prove on the continental stage. Defending Ligue 1 champions PSG, Italian giants Juventus and Portuguese heavyweights Benfica will compete for two spots in the knockout stage.
PSG look reasonably strong as the season roars back on. The Parisians scored wins against Clermont, Montpellier and Lille by a combined score of 17-2. A draw at home against Monaco mars their otherwise perfect season so far. Like most of Europe’s big spenders, PSG have new faces. After going all-in with the purchase of Sporting’s Nuno Mendes, Porto’s Vitinha, Napoli’s Fabián Ruiz, Leipzig’s Nordi Mukiele and a host of other Galactic-style signings, they could avenge their early exit at the hands of Real Madrid next year in the group stage.
Juventus are also trying to come from behind, but have not had the winning streak that PSG have enjoyed. After crushing Sassuolo 3-0, they tied with Sampdoria and Roma. Their humble eighth-place finish in Serie A does not reflect the money they spent in the summer. They acquired Angel Di Maria and Paul Pogba on a free transfer, spent €41m on Bremer from Torino and bought future key cogs Filip Kostic from Frankfurt and Arkadiusz Milik. Last season ended in a whimper, but the Bianconeri could come back with a roar in the Champions League.
Benfica may not have some of their great weapons from last season; Darwin Nunez is with Liverpool, Roman Yaremchuk plays for Club Brugge and reliable midfielder Everton is back at the Brasileiro with Flamengo. But they still look as strong as ever. They beat Midtjylland 7-2 on aggregate and triumphed over Dynamo Kyiv 5-0 on aggregate in Champions League qualifying. Not only that, but they have won their first four games in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, proving their dominance. Although Juve and PSG are a level above Benfica, there is no reason why they cannot compete for a round of 16 spot.
Maccabi Haifa FC is undoubtedly the underdog of Group H. Despite winning the Israeli Premier League, narrowly missing the State Cup on penalties and winning two other semi-major cups in the same season, they were outclassed in the Conference League. They only took four points from their group, and were quickly overtaken by the likes of Union Berlin, Slavia Prague and Feyenoord. But this season could be different. They defeated Olympiacos, Apollon Limassol and Red Star en route to a group stage bid. They could take some points from them, but don’t expect them to make it to the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League round of 16.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Revierfoto
