The Champions League is back!

 

Hello there. Welcome back to Thepenaltyspot.

The crown jewel of European football is up for grabs once again, the allure of the silver, 74 cm high, 11 kg trophy never seems to fade. There is just something about the stared ball and the legendary theme song that edges all footballing fans leaving Us craving for more.

So first, let's look at some changes in the 2022-23 Champions League group stage.

 Condensed Group Stage Matches

 Due to the winter world cup being held in Qatar, the group stage matches of the 2022-23 champions league will have to take place within a shortened timespan. The World Cup, which is scheduled to take place from 20 November to 18 December 2022 would interfere with the normal champions league group stage schedule. This forced a restructure which will see Champions League group games played out within eight weeks. Group games will start a week earlier on September 6-7 and conclude on November 1-2. 

Group stage

Matchday 1: September 6-7, 2022

Matchday 2: September 13-14, 2022

Matchday 3: October 4-5, 2022

Matchday 4: October 11-12, 2022

Matchday 5: October 25-26, 2022

Matchday 6: November 1-2, 2022

Speaking on Liverpool's official website, Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp had this to say about the shortened group stage "The difference this year is that the group stage will be shorter than usual, so we will have to be ready not just for the quality of the opposition but also for the different demands and rhythms.”

It will be interesting to witness how teams will look to manoeuvre this challenge. will lower ranked teams smell blood in the water and strike big teams within their busy schedules?

Will players crumble under the intense fixture list? 

To the fans, this all sounds too good to be true, more football, more action, more drama,, damn this is what Thepenaltyspot is all about. You can bet I'll be here to talk about all the breathtaking games and moments. 

For now, let's talk about the groups. Of the 8 groups, which one is the group of death?

Group A

 

On paper, the group might look pretty straightforward with Liverpool looking to dominate. However, Napoli has proved a tough nut to crack for the Reds in the past and as of right now, the most in-form team is Napoli. Luciano Spalletti and his players are looking good and winning in style

Liverpool has started the season in the worst possible way and will look to switch their form as soon as they can. The injury crisis within the team has seen essential first-team players such as Thiago Alcantara on the sidelines. Will a resolution be achieved before the start of the group stages?

A young and inspired Ajax team will be looking to display youthful exuberance, the team might have lost some of its key players such as Lisandro Martinez to Manchester United but the Ajax academy has been and still is producing world-class players.

Then, there are Rangers, who made it to the group stage for the first time in 12 years. They have nothing to lose, and Ibrox will be rocking like never before. It is a great achievement to reach this stage; from here, everything is a bonus.

Group B

Definitely one of the least interesting groups however, there is a lot of character within the sides. Atletico Madrid has yet to find their attacking mojo, losing to Villareal already in La Liga. Talent is very much present within this Atletico side but things are yet to click.

This, in fact, makes matters quite interesting as Porto will look to capitalize on the misfortunes of Atletico.

Bayer Leverkusen has lost all the games they have played in the Bundesliga. A shocking start to the season, as for Club Brugge, they lost their best player this summer.  Add the loss of Philippe Clément, the manager who made them so good before leaving for Monaco halfway through last season. It will be a struggle for Brugge to compete

Group C (Group of Death)

Hahahhaha..ahhh

Okay, back to business, this group is the one to keep an eye on. Bayern has been flying in the Bundesliga, but now that I think about it, haven't they always? Anyway, they have scored 15 goals in 3 games, and their summer signing Sadio has hit the ground running. they are easily the favourites to win the group.

Barcelona has a history with the Bavarians, this devastating history will still linger fondly in The minds of Catalan fans, they will expect retribution. Barcelona will fancy their chances as they come off a historic transfer window that saw them acquire Jules Koundé, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha, Franck Kessie, and former Bayern Munich player Robert Lewandowski, a player that scored in their 8-2 defeat in Munich. Does the drama of this lovely game ever end, can we ever expect to foresee the twists and turns in the future? 

Inter Milan plays well together already, and the return of Lukaku will only make them stronger and more physical. As for Viktoria Plzen, the picture says it all

Group D

Spurs find themselves in a favourable group however, their manager Antonio Conte has historically been unable to translate his domestic success to European competition. His current Premier League form will see Spurs fans fancy their chances to win the group.

Last season's Europa League winners Frankfurt will test their resolve, while Sporting Lisbon, making their 10th group stage appearance. Frankfurt's recent European success oozes confidence and teamwork, this might prove problematic for Conte.

Marseille has no fewer than four players with connections to Arsenal, Tottenham's north London rivals, in their ranks: Matteo Guendouzi, Alexis Sanchez, Sead Kolasinac and Nuno Tavares. 

Group E

History, there is a rich Champions League history between Chelsea and AC Milan. Milan is seven times Champions, and Chelsea has won the cup twice including recently in 2021. AC Milan has recreated their historic club, they have been on the rise and will fancy their chances of proceeding out of the group stages in first or second.

After a painful exit to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, Chelsea will feel they have some compensating to do. Favourites to win the group, Tuchel and his men will leave nothing to chance this time. FC Salzburg will embark upon their fourth consecutive group stage campaign and boast a forward line led by Benjamin Sesko. After a three-year absence, Dinamo Zagreb are back and will be looking to make the most of the situation.

Group F

Will Real Madrid make it 15 Champions League titles? The Catalan giants are clear favourites to win the group. The scrap for second place is interesting, and I am unable to tell who will be second best. I'll be sure to have an eye out for this group. The previous campaign saw the Catalan giants win their 14th title, they, however, had a shocking start to the campaign losing to Sheriff. The round of sixteen was also 'shaky' but in the end, they made it through. Will they have the same 'luck' this time? Will their experience guide them to 15? we will have to wait and see.

 Shakhtar Donetsk will be flying the flag for Ukraine while the country is at war with Russia, a situation that means Shakhtar will have to play their home games at Stadion Wojska Polskiego in Warsaw. RB Leipzig will be hoping to make it to the last 16 after running into Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in their group last season, while Celtic, is returning to the group stages for the first time in five years.

Group G

 

Manchester City will fancy their chances of bringing European treasure to the blue side of Manchester for the first time. The signing of Erling Haaland has Champions League intention written all over it. Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund are solid teams with experienced players and Pep Guardiola will have to be cautious of the threat posed by both teams. The current Premier League holders have been leaking goals in the League, conceding 5 goals in 4 games. Will pep fix this leak before it's too late?

FC Copenhagen hasn't been in the group stage since 2016-17,  which saw them eliminated at the last 16 by Chelsea. The two battles between Sevilla and Dortmund should be exciting games. There is a lot of jeopardy within this group. An interesting group to look forward to!

Group H

Can the MNM lead the Parisians to a first Champions League title? The superstar trio has been firing at all cylinders in the French Ligue. Their new manager Christophe Galtier is an exceptional manager and tactician. During the 2020–21 season, Galtier guided Lille to their first Ligue 1 title in 10 years and the fourth in club history. For the first time in a long time, PSG didn't win the Ligue 1 title. 

Juventus will pose a stern early test, Benfica poses the strongest threat to PSG and Juventus after reaching the last eight last season, while Maccabi Haifa from Israel has made it to the group stage only twice before, in 2002-03 and 2009-10.

You can't ask for more from a group stage game than two heavyweights paired together, and Paris Saint-Germain against Juventus is exactly that. They've never played a competitive game before, but they are two teams that will not only be looking to finish top of Group H, they'll both have ambitions to go on and win the competition