Group A
Real Madrid
European Cup wins 10
Played 216 W126 D42 L48
At a club where Champions League success is demanded as a given, last season’s semi-final exit was a setback. In Rafa Benítez, they have a manager with a proven record of European success but there has been few substantial additions to the squad – and will other egos be OK with Gareth Bale’s central role?
Shakhtar Donetsk
Played 108 W42 D22 L36
Full of Brazilians the Ukraine side have been a regular and tough fixture on the European scene for a number years but given the level of competition in this group, as well as losing Douglas Costa to Bayern Munich, Mircea Lucescu will struggle to make it out of the group stages this time around.
Paris Saint-Germain
Played 70 W36 D14 L20
Moneybags PSG regularly win the French League but struggle to impose themselves in Europe, failing to make it past the quarter-finals in the past three seasons. Have added quality in Layvin Kurzawa and Ángel Di María for significant amounts and heads will roll should Laurent Blanc’s squad underachieve yet again.
Malmo
Played 28 W11 D5 L12
For a Swedish club to reach the group stages is a success these days but that may be where their achievement ends. Age Hareide has overhauled his squad but are underdogs. Markus Rosenberg, the former West Bromwich Albion striker, is their captain and their most important player.
Fixtures
15 Sept PSG v Malmö, Real Madrid v S Donetsk; 30 Sept Malmö v Real Madrid, S Donetsk v Real Madrid; 21 Sept Malmö v S Donetsk, PSG v Real Madrid; 3 Nov Real Madrid v PSG, S Donetsk v Malmö; 25 Nov Malmö v PSG, S Donetsk v Real Madrid 8 Dec PSG v S Donetsk, Real Madrid v Malmö.
Group B
PSV Eindhoven
European Cup wins 1
Played 108 W39 D22 L22
The Eredivisie winners have spent the summer being shorn of some of their best players, notably Memphis Depay (above), who they face in their opening game. How they cope with that will determine their success but PSV have invested wisely in the talented attacking midfielder Gastón Pereiro.
CSKA Moscow
Played 65 W22 D16 L27
Needed late goals to advance past Porto in the qualification stages but they proved to be tricky opponents for Manchester City last season and top the Russian Premier League after seven games. Their third consecutive season in the group stages but should also be their third consecutive exit at the opening round.
Manchester United
European Cup wins 3
Played 214 W117 D55 L42
Louis van Gaal came through the qualification round with ease but there are problems within his squad – on and off the pitch – and he will be glad that they managed to avoid some of the bigger sides when the groups were drawn. Should have enough to make it out of this round but may struggle thereafter.
Wolfsburg
Played 6 W2 D1 L3
Last season’s Bundesliga runners-up possess a mean attack and a decent defence, making them the toughest opponents. However, they will be without the masterful Kevin de Bruyne (sold to Manchester City) and it will be interesting to see how Julian Draxler fills the Belgian’s boots, should he be able to stay fit.
Fixtures
15 Sept PSV v Man Utd, Wolfsburg v CSKA; 30 Sept CSKA v PSV (5pm), Man Utd v Wolfsburg; 21 Oct CSKA v Man Utd, Wolfsburg v PSV; 3 Nov Man Utd v CSKA, PSV v Wolfsburg; 25 Nov CSKA v Wolfsburg, Man Utd v PSV; 8 Dec PSV v CSKA, Wolfsburg v Man Utd.
Group C
Benfica
European Cup wins 2
Played 86 W33 D22 L31
This is Rui Vitória’s first time managing at this level and over the summer the 45-year-old has seen 10 players leave and 12 arrive. Holding on to Argentina midfielder Nicolás Gaitán is a major boost but fans must fear that disruption to the squad will lead to a struggle to make it into the last 16.
Galatasaray
Played 112 W43 D30 L49
Terrible last season, picking up one point, but they might just have enough quality to navigate this stage. Many headlines were devoted to the arrival of Lukas Podolski from Arsenal but José Rodríguez, a 20-year-old midfielder from Real Madrid signed on a free, should bring plenty of talent to the midfield.
Atlético Madrid
Played 49 W24 D15 L10
It will be some shock if Diego Simeone’s side do not end the group stages in first place. They have engaged in a heavy recruitment programme costing around €100m with the arrival of the defender Stefan Savic and striker Jackson Martínez among others. Could venture far again this year.
Astana
Played 6 W3 D2 L1
The first team from Kazakhstan to qualify for the group stage and they did so with a 2-1 aggregate victory over Apoel. Coach Stanimir Stoilov admits this campaign is going to be difficult and it is hard to see them finishing in any place other than last.
Fixtures
15 Sep Benfica v Astana, Gala v Atlético; 30 Sep Astana v Gala (5pm), Atlético v Benfica; 21 Oct Atlético v Astana, Gala v Benfica; 3 Nov Astana v Atlético (3pm), Benfica v Gala; 25 Nov Astana v Benfica (3pm), Atlético v Gala; 8 Dec Benfica v Atlético, Gala v Astana.
Group D
Juventus
European Cup wins 2
Played 173 W72 D43 L38
Last season’s finalists have managed to keep hold of the coveted Paul Pogba but the loss of Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo will hit the Serie A champions hard – they have started the season poorly. Mario Mandzukic should prove a sensible buy and Paulo Dybala will be exciting to watch but will they get the service they need?
Sevilla
Played 17 W11 D2 L5
Los Rojiblancos qualified by virtue of being Europa League champions. Unai Emery has built a talented bunch who rarely lose at home but the exit of Carlos Bacca could prove crucial to their hopes. His replacement, Ciro Immobile, failed to impress at Dortmund last season but perhaps Emery can rekindle his talents.
Manchester City
Played 25 W10 D6 L9
If they are to escape from this group of death, City will need to improve upon their Champions League home form that reads three wins from their last 11 matches. The high-profile signings of Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling should help them do so but this will not be easy for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Played 2 W1 D L1
Gladbach have started the season poorly, losing three games and conceding almost as many goals (eight) as in the whole second half of last season (10). Still, they should not be underestimated. This is a squad that comfortably qualified for an automatic European place and has enough talent to take points.
Fixtures
15 Sep Man City v Juventus, Sevilla v Gladbach; 30 Sept Gladbach v Man City, Juventus v Sevilla; 21 Oct Gladbach v Juventus, Sevilla v Man City; 3 Nov Sevilla v Man City, Gladbach v Juventus 25 Nov Gladbach v Sevilla, Juventus v Man City; 8 Dec Man City v Gladbach, Sevilla v Juventus.
Group E
Barcelona
European Cup wins 5
Played 214 W126 D49 L39
The question is not if Barcelona can get out of the group but if Barcelona can retain the trophy? Xavi may be gone and Andrés Iniesta may be a year older but the front three of Neymar, Messi and Suárez are still three of the best the world has to offer and Arda Turan is a superb player who should fit in well when he is available to play.
Roma
Played 70 W25 D20 L25
Roma got off to flyer this season, beating Juventus in their second Serie A game and igniting fans’ hopes of a proper title challenge. They have made some smart summer buys – especially Mohamed Salah and Edin Dzeko – but it could well be that their eyes are on another prize that is not the Champions League.
Bayer Leverkusen
Played 73 W32 D12 L29
It would take a brave punter to bet against Leverkusen making it into the next round. Son Heung-min has moved to Tottenham but that might not be a problem for them. They still have the excellent Karim Bellarabi and he can supply Javier Hernández with the type of balls the former Manchester United striker thrives on.
Bate Borisov
Played 79 W27 D23 L26
Bate relied heavily on their home form in the qualifying rounds to make it this far, winning all three but have yet to win away. The Belarusians have never made it out of the groups in three attempts – and it will not be a case of fourth time lucky.
Fixtures
16 Sep Bayer Lev v Bate, Roma v Barcelona; 29 Sept Barcelona v Bayer Lev, Bate v Roma; 20 Oct Bate v Barcelona, Bayer Lev v Roma; 4 Nov Barcelona v Bate, Roma v Bayer Lev; 24 Nov Bate v Bayer Lev (5pm), Barcelona v Roma; 9 Dec Bayer Lev v Barcelona, Roma v Bate.
Group F
Bayern Munich
European Cup wins 5
Played 205 W112 D46 L47
Bayern are arguably the biggest threat to Barcelona retaining their crown. This is likely to be Pep Guardiola’s last season in charge and he will not want to leave without a European trophy to his name. Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal already look like snug fits within the squad and, as ever, there is plenty of strength in depth.
Olympiakos
Played 100 W40 D17 L43
Last season, the Greeks were poor away from home – losing all three games – but beat Juventus, Malmö and Atlético Madrid at home. Now coached by Marco Silva, formerly of Sporting Lisbon, and if he can sort out their travel sickness and get West Bom flop Brown Ideye firing, Arsenal may need to worry.
Arsenal
Played 147 W76 D33 L38
Arsène Wenger should have enough to make it out of this group but, barring a miracle, it will be in second place behind Pep Guardiola’s indefatigable Bayern. It is hard to be optimistic that they have the firepower to see off Europe’s elite. A second round of 16 exit for the Gunners beckons on current form.
Dinamo Zagreb
Played 81 W37 D117 L32
The Croatian champions’ repeated Champions League shortcomings – they have never qualified from the group stage in four attempts and are 15 games without a win – suggests Arsenal have little to fear and in their previous CL meeting in the 2006-07 third qualifying round were beaten 5-1 on aggregate.
Fixtures
16 Sep D Zagreb v Arsenal, Olympiakos v Bayern; 29 Sept Arsenal v Olympiakos, Bayern v D Zagreb; 20 Oct Arsenal v Bayern, D Zagreb v Olympiakos
4 Nov Bayern v Arsenal, Olympiakos v D Zagreb; 24 Nov Arsenal v D Zagreb, Bayern v Olympiakos 9 Dec D Zagreb v Bayern, Olympiakos v Arsenal.
Group G
Chelsea
European Cup wins 1
Played 144 W73 D44 L27
José Mourinho, twice a winner of the Champions League, will want to do better than last season, when Chelsea were eliminated by PSG in the last 16. But with only one major addition in Pedro, they may struggle to go much further. The form of Cesc Fábregas could be key to the Londoners progressing.
Dynamo Kyiv
Played 150 W60 D32 L58
Back in the Champions League after a two-year absence, having won the league by 10 points from Shakhtar Donetsk. Financial difficulties in Ukrainian football mean it is not their strongest ever squad but they did manage to hold on to the mercurial Andriy Yarmolenko.
Porto
European Cup wins 2
Played 164 W69 D44 L51
Favourites to go through the group together with Chelsea with their Spanish manager Julen Lopetegui continuing to work his magic. He has lost some firepower up front with Jackson Martínez joining Atlético Madrid but Iker Casillas is a high-profile addition at the other end of the pitch. The signing of Dani Osvaldo is a gamble.
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Played 31 W8 D9 L13
The group underdogs will rely on the goals of their captain, Eran Zahavi, who has already scored seven in this season’s campaign as they eliminated Hibernians, Viktoria Plzen and Basel. The manager is Slavisa Jokanovic, who left Watford after gaining promotion to the Premier League last season.
Fixtures
16 Sep Chelsea v Maccabi, Dynamo v Porto; 29 Sept Porto v Chelsea, Maccabi v Dynamo; 20 Oct Dynamo v Chelsea, Porto v Maccabi; 4 Nov Chelsea v Dynamo, Maccabi v Porto; 24 Nov Porto v Dynamo, Maccabi v Chelsea; 9 Dec Chelsea v Porto; Dynamo v Maccabi.
Group H
Zenit St Petersburg
Played 47 W19 D12 L16
It is fair to say that things are not going André Villas-Boas’s way. Banned for six matches for assaulting a match official, last week he revealed he is leaving the club at the end of the season. The former Chelsea manager does not think the club invested enough in the summer, but they did keep players such as Axel Witsel and Hulk.
Lyon
Played 114 W57 D24 L33
The French side had a good summer as they managed to keep hold of Nabil Fekir (currently injured) and Alexandre Lacazette as well as receiving a hefty sum from Monaco as part of the deal that took Anthony Martial to Manchester United. Hubert Fournier’s side is still young but developing by the year.
Valencia
Played 100 W46 D29 L25
The club finished fourth in La Liga last season and eliminated Monaco in the play-off round so will be a difficult proposition. Nuno Espírito Santo has an eclectic and well-balanced squad with Shkodran Mustafi, Daniel Parejo and Álvaro Negredo standing out. He also has Phil Neville as his assistant.
Gent
Played 2 W0 D0 L2
What a week this promises to be for the Buffalos, making their Champions League debut after winning the Belgian league for the first time in their 115-year history. Lyon are the first visitors and the stadium will be bouncing. Hein Vanhaezebrouck’s team could cause an upset at home.
Fixtures
16 Sep Gent v Lyon; Valencia v Zenit; 29 Sept Lyon v Valencia, Zenit v Gent; 20 Oct Valencia v Gent, Zenit v Lyon; 4 Nov Gent v Valencia, Lyon v Zenit; 24 Nov Zenit v Valencia, Lyon v Gent; 9 Dec Gent v Zenit, Valencia v Lyon.
- On Sunday 13 September 2015, the statistics for Champions League wins by José Mourinho, PSV, Manchester United and Porto were corrected, along with Gent’s match record
