UCL Group Stage Predictions: PSG, Leipzig and United Are in Toughest Group

Last Thursday football fans finally got to know which team will play in which group in the Champions League group stage. Thanks to the draw Messi and Ronaldo will already meet in Group G, while Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain won’t have an easy job to win their groups. In the UCL group stage predictions most big teams are favored to go through easily, let’s see the odds. 

32 teams will take part in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League group stage, divided into eight groups of four teams. As usual, the first two teams in each group will qualify for the last 16, while third-place teams will continue in the Europa League. Some of the groups look quite simple with two big teams standing out, while others are more balanced. Defending champion Bayern Munich and Europa League champion Sevilla should take this step easily, while other top teams might face a tougher task. It will be interesting to see how the debuting teams, like Rennes, Krasnodar or Midtjylland or long-absent Ferencvaros will do at this stage.

UCL group stage predictions favor PSG to win one of the toughest group, Group H

Last season’s two semi-finalists, Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig were drawn into the last group along with Manchester United and Istanbul Basaksehir. Online sportsbooks in the UK favor United to go through with the odds of 1.33 at Bet365. But Solksjaer’s team has to improve though if they want to defeat the young and ambitious Germans. Julian Nagelsmann led his team to the semi-final last season for everyone’s surprise and surely they will go for a similar result this year. Their odds to get through to the next round is 2.10.

Record Champions League winner Real Madrid have been drawn to Group B.  Another tough group with Inter Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Monchengladbach. Real are the favorites to win the group with the odds of 1.57 at Bet365 but Inter will be a strong opponent with players like Lukaku, Martinez and Vidal. The Italians have the same odds of 1.57 to qualify in the UCL group stage predictions. Probably Shakhtar and Gladbach will fight for 3rd place, they can steal points though from the top teams of the group.

The most balanced group, Group F

Group F seems to be the most balanced group with teams with similar strength. Top seeded team of the group was Russian champion Zenit. But they are ranked only in third place in the odds. While German runner-up Borussia Dortmund are favored to win the group with the odds of 1.83. Certainly Lucien Favre’s side is a major force in European football and one-time winner of the tournament. They should progress to the next round while the second  place can be won by the other three groups.

Lazio finished only fourth in the Serie A last season after a great start. The team appeared last time in the Champions League group stage in the 2007-08 season. So surely they want to prove that they belong here. Club Brugge are the Belgian champions who finished third in their group last season. Zenit finished only fourth and will aim for a better finish this time.  Lazio are slightly favored to reach the knockout stage with the odds of 1.61 while Zenit have the odds of 2.00 to do the same.

Most spectacular games are expected in Group G

For the first time in Champions League history the two biggest football stars at the moment, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will play against each other already in the group stage. As their clubs, FC Barcelona and Juventus have been drawn to the same group, Group G. The Catalan club suffered a humiliating defeat in the quarter-finals by Bayern. They are head-to head with the Italian championto win the group with the odds of 1.90. We shall see which new manager can adopt a better tactics and style of play.  The other two teams in the group, Dinamo Kyev and Ferencvaros are likely to be on the sideline here.

English teams and Bayern should go through easily

In the rest of the groups, the identity of the qualifying teams seem more certain. In Group A Bayern will fight with Atletico Madrid for the first place. Red Bull Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow can’t be any real threat for either of them. Manchester City stand out in Group C but the other teams, Porto, Olympique Marseille and Olympiakos can all fight for the second qualifying place. Probably the Portuguese champion should get it, but Marseille also showed an improving form under Andre Villas-Boas. They play in the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2014. 

Online gambling sites in the UK also favor Premier League champions Liverpool to win their group, Group D. They will play against last season’s  surprise team, Atalanta who have the odds of 1.57 to reach the knockout stage. The Italians reached the quarter-finals in the previous season, after defeating Valencia in the last 16.  The odds of Dutch champion Ajax are 2.10 to qualify, but the semi-finalist team from 2018 are much weaker now. The fourth English team, Chelsea are in the same group as Europa League winner Sevilla, who could be their rival for the first place in the group. But the other two teams, Russian Krasnodar and French side Rennes can’t cause too much trouble for them.

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