Preview of all 8 Groups of UEFA Champions League 2007-08

UEFA Champions League is the greatest event in club football. 32 top clubs of Europe get the opportunity to take part in this competition. 2007-08 season of UEFA Champions League is going to begin soon. Today, we had the draw and now we know the group positions. We also know that there are 8 groups and each group has 4 clubs. The top two clubs will advance to the next round. Here, I am giving brief preview of all the 8 groups including the names of the clubs in each group.

Group A

Liverpool

Porto

Marseille

Besiktas

UEFA Champions League 2007-08 season draw has been over. Thirty two teams will be playing in eight groups of four teams each. Group A teams are Liverpool, Porto, Marseille and Besiktas. Liverpool is the most successful club in Champions League history among these four teams. They have won UEFA Champions League for five times and the most recent was in 2005 season. Last season Liverpool was the runner up of Champions League as in the final they lost to AC Milan. Liverpool is one of the most successful English clubs in English Premier League. Liverpool is the top seed team in Group A.

FC Porto is one of them most successful Portuguese club in Portugal domestic league. Porto has won Champions league title two times. Porto is one of those teams who appear regularly in Champions league. Olympique de Marseille is a major club in France who won 1993 UEFA Champions League and was runner up two years back in 1991. They could appear in the champions league final these two times. The other club of Group A is Turkish club Besiktas. They have not any notable record in Champions League history.

I think, Liverpool is most favorite in the group to enter into the knock out stage. For the second place there will be a hard fight between FC Porto and Olympique de Marseille because both clubs are in same level. Now, let us see who are going to be the two lucky teams to qualify for the quarter final stage from Group A.

Group B

CHELSEA

Valencia

Schalke 04

Rosenborg

Group B has four teams: CHELSEA, Valencia, Schalke 04 and Rosenborg. Among the, Chelsea is the top seed and Chelsea is perhaps the best club in England at this moment as Chelsea is in the first position of EPL this season so far. Valencia is a strong Spanish club too and it has been performing consistently well in the last few years in La Liga. Last season, Valencia was in the fourth position in La Liga and in UEFA Champions League 2006-07, Valencia reached to the quarterfinal stage and then lost to Chelsea. So, it will be interesting for us to see these two clubs in action this season in the same group of Champions League.

FC Schalke 04 is a German club and it was second in German Football League last season. FC Schalke 04 does not have good track record in UEFA Champions League. So, the top two clubs in this group would not need to bother about them so much. However, it will be a foolish thing to take FC Schalke 04 lightly. Rosenborg is a Norwegian club and it does not have good track record in UEFA Champions League either.

So, I guess that the main battle will be in between Chelsea and Valencia in Group B of UEFA Champions League 2007-08.

Group C

REAL MADRID

Werder Bremen

Lazio

Olympiakos

At first look, Group C seems to be a tough group for the clubs. Well, it is half true. There should be no competition for the first position as Real Madrid should become number one in this group easily. Well, you can never say what happens in Champions League football. For example, last year, Real Madrid could not become the top club in their group and Real Madrid had an early exit from the knockout stage. So, this will give some hope to the other 3 clubs but I don’t think that the other 3 clubs can come near to Real this time. Anyway, I think that Real Madrid is the favorite to top the group. They have perhaps the strongest squad in club football today.

The other 3 players will have to fight for the second position in Group C. Werder Bremen and Olympiakos did not have good performance last season. Lazio is back in Champions League action. They have everything to play for. I fancy Lazio doing well. Lazio was in the third position of last season of Italian League.

Group D

AC MILAN

Benfica

Celtic

Shakhtar Donetsk

Group D really looks a tricky one to me. Of course, you can easily omit Shakhtar Donetsk from the fight to go to the next round. Shakhtar Donetsk has never done anything impressive in Europe despite the fact it is a strong club in Ukraine. In fact, alst season, in Ukrainian Premier League, the club was in second position. AC Milan is the top seed in Group D and I feel they deserve to be the top seed. However, I am not expecting an easy time for AC Milan. You can never neglect a club like Benfica.

Benfica is highly experienced in Europe and no team can take them lightly. So, I am expecting a tough competition between Benfica and AC Milan in Group D. What about Celtic? Celtic is really an unpredictable team. It has a formidable squad and can offer some tough times to all the other clubs in this group. Celtic is the current champion of Scottish Premier League. In fact, Celtic lost to AC Milan in First Knockout Round of UEFA Champions League 2006-07 (last season). So, Group D can easily become the group of death for all the clubs.

Group E

Barcelona

Lyon

Stuttgart

Rangers

Barcelona is one of the most successful Spanish clubs in La Liga. Barcelona has two UEFA Champions League titles and the recent one was in 2006. They have some star players in the team. So, they are though to be one of the favorite to the Champions League title of 2007-2008 season.

Olympique Lyon is one of the most known French clubs. They have got many successes in their domestic leagues but they have not Champions league title yet. However, they plays in Champions League regularly.

Scottish club Rangers has a good popularity among the European teams. They won 51 Scottish league championship titles so far but they could not yet win any Champions league title. VfB Stuttgart is a German club who has sheer success in German league. However, they could not win any Champions league title.

I think, Group E is a tough team. It is like a group of death. Almost all the teams play very well. Anyway, I think, Barcelona is most likely to enter in the quarter final stage but it is not possible to say anything about any team specifically who has most chance to get into the next stage. The second place in Group E is open.

Group F

MANCHESTER UNITED

Roma

Sporting Lisbon

Dynamo Kiev

Manchester United is the top seed in Group F and Manchester United players can expect to become the top club in the group and advance to the next round. Manchester United is also the current champion of English Premier League. However, Manchester United is not in good form this season. In fact, Man United has the worst possible start to the season in many years. The bad form of Man United should give the other 3 clubs some hope. Roma is a strong club of Italy and Roma fans are dreaming their club to go to the second round.

If Roma fans can dream then Sporting Lisbon fans can also dream that they have something in this group. Dyano Kiev was once a mighty club but it has become weak because of many reasons. Anyway, I feel that Manchester United will go to second round from Group F. Roma and Sporting Lisbon will have to fight for the second spot.

Group G

Inter Milan

PSV Eindhoven

CSKA Moscow

Fenerbahce

Inter Milan is a famous Italian club who has won many domestic league titles in Italy. Inter Milan won champions league title twice and was runner up two times. Inter Milan has some star players who can lead the club to their third title in Champions League 2007-08. PSV Eindhoven is a well known European club from Netherlands. They have won Champions league title once in 1987-88 season.

PFC CSKA Moscow is the most successful Russian club in UEFA champions league. They appear regularly in Champions league. However, they are yet to win a champions league title. Their major success outside Russia was in 2005. They won the UEFA Cup title in 2005. Fenerbahce is a Turkish club who has 17 Turkish league title. However, they do not have any notable success in UEFA Champions League. However, this year they recruited some star players including Brazilian star Roberto Carlos. So, they can do better in Champions league 2007-08 season.

I think, Inter Milan is favorite to enter into the quarter final stage form Group G. However, for the second place of the group, there will be a hard competition between PSV Eindhoven and CSKA Moscow. I will not be astonished if any upset happens in this group.

Group H

Arsenal

Sevilla/AEK Athens

Steau Bucharest

Slavia Prague

This is the only group where at this moment five teams are involved. As the second leg match between Sevilla and AEK Athens in UEFA Champions league third qualify round has been postponed, both teams initially have been included in the group.

Arsenal is the top seeded team in this group. Arsenal is a popular English club who has won Premier League for 13 times. However, in Champions league their best result was in 2005-2006 where they achieved the runner up trophy.

Sevilla is a Spanish club who are now in good form. Though they could not won Champions league title yet, they won the last two UEFA Cup titles in 2005-06 and 2006-07. So, it is possible for them to do something better in Champions League 2007-08 season. On the other hand, AEK Athens is Greek club who does not have any success in Champions league or in UEFA Cup.

Romanian club Steaua Bucuresti is not so well known in the world. However, they already won one Champions league title. In 1985-86 season they won the UEFA Champions league tile defeating FC Barcelona in the final.

Slavia Prague is a Czech football club who does not have any notable success in Champions league. However, in domestic league they got different titles several times.

Arsenal is undoubtedly the most favorite in the group as they are most likely to qualify for the quarter final stage. If Sevilla can qualify then they will have better chance to be the second team from this group to enter into the quarter final stage. However, if they can not they it will be open to all other three teams to achieve the second place in the group.

So, now you know about all the 8 groups of UEFA Champions League 2007-08. What is your favorite club?