The draw for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League 2012-2013 took place last night. I have always been a massive fan of the World Cup & European Championships....up to this year.
But Euro 2012 simply did not produce the level of excitement & drama anywhere near the levels of high octane drama in the Champions League last year, with the dramatic semi final & final win by Chelsea making last year's competition one of the most exciting & unpredictable of all time.
Last night's draw, as usual, produced a distinct group of death, and the cash & quality rich experience poor Manchester City were caught in the net again. Group D is pairing the 2012 Champions of Spain (Real Madrid), England (Manchester City), Holland (Ajax) & Germany (Dortmund) together in a very tough group.
Real Madrid & Mourinho took care of Barcelona last year by winning La Liga but are desperate to win the CL trophy after falling short in the semi finals last year. Whilst both Manchester City & Dortmund need to perform better than the disappointing group stage exit of last year. Ajax, whilst not the powerhouse they once were, have dealt with their internal problems & have many young talented Dutch players & would surely fancy their chances.
Unlike previous years, this year I will wait until mid September before predicting which teams will succeed. To regular visitors of my blog, my record in the past 3 years stands at above 85%!
There are some early predictions nevertheless: Juventus are back as a force to be reckoned with whilst AC Milan have sold key players & are in real danger of a prolonged decay & elimination in the group stage for the first time in many years (or even first time ever?)
There will also be many exciting encounters to look forward to. For example, there will be once again exciting Anglo German encounters between Manchester City vs Dortmund & Schalke vs Arsenal whilst the 2001 finalists Bayern & Valencia will meet in Group F.
Both Manchester City & Borussia Dortmund must & will be more competitive whilst the favourites will remain the same: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Bayern Munich & Manchester United.
Amongst the favourites Barcelona & Manchester United have arguably landed the easiest groups.
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