Club football is back, and everyone is excited about the upcoming UCL campaign. The group stage draw for the 2023/24 UCL season took place last month in Monaco, France, with UEFA also awarding some of the most outstanding individuals in Europe with several honours.
Erling Haaland won the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year for his exploits in the competition last season. With the UCL group stage coming up this week, we look at the competition’s toughest group and who’s most likely to make it out.
Which group in the UCL is the toughest?
According to Bleacher Report, the UCL is the most popular club competition, only behind the FIFA World Cup in the general ranking. The continental competition hosts the best clubs in Europe, with all of them locking horns to challenge for the highest-paying competition in the world.
Manchester City won the UCL last season after beating Inter Milan in the final, courtesy of Rodri’s goal. The Champions kickstart their title defence this season as they play their first game of the competition against Red Star Belgrade, but all eyes are on Newcastle as they make their return to the competition after a 20-year wait.
The Magpies are drawn into the trickiest group of the competition after being paired with PSG, Borussia Dortmund, and AC Milan. PSG may not have enjoyed success in the competition since their run into the final in 2020, but they remain heavy favourites, especially with the kind of shrewd business they’ve done in the summer, including convincing Kylian Mbappe to remain at the club for at least another year.
AC Milan also had a successful campaign in the competition last season, making it into the final four of the competition, where they lost to bitter rivals Inter Milan over a two-legged tie. On the other hand, Dortmund lost to Chelsea in the round of 16 of the competition last season, despite winning the first leg of the tie 1-0 in Germany.
Everything you need to know about the UEFA Champions League 2023/24
The 2023/24 UCL is the first of its kind everyone’s seen in a long time. It is the first time the competition will be played without either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi since 2004/2005.
Ronaldo last played in the competition in 2021 when he rejoined Manchester United from Juventus before his move to Saudi Arabia after his contract with United was terminated. Lionel Messi participated in the competition last season with PSG, but following the expiration of his contract, the Argentine joined Inter Miami in the MLS.
Neymar, Benzema, Kante, Henderson, Fabinho, Firmino, and Mahrez, are some of the big names that will be missed from the competition this season after they all moved to the Gulf State.
Matchday one of the competition will run from September 19 to September 20. The final will be played at the popular Wembley Stadium in London on the 1st of June 2024.
This will also be the last season the UCL will be played in its current 32-team format. Starting from next season, the competition will accommodate 36 teams.
Who will win this season’s UCL? Will it be the Citizens singing towards the quadruple glory, or will the Los Blancos sail through on the shoulders of Jude Bellingham?
