Content Editor at Free Super Tips, Alex was born in the shadow of Old Trafford and is an avid Man Utd fan. After graduating from university he combined his love of football, writing and betting to join FST and now closely follows goings-on in all of the top European leagues.
Excruciating small talk aside, the Champions League Group Stage draw always throws up some interesting matchups and this year’s offering on Thursday evening was no different.
It all kicks off on Tuesday and there are plenty of huge games to sink your teeth into, including Bayern Munich’s trip to the Camp Nou, Inter Milan vs Real Madrid and Manchester City hosting RB Leipzig.
We’ve put together a huge group winners acca in the hope of repeating our success from last year, when we landed a 57/1 group winner accumulator!
111/1 Champions League group accumulator
Group A winners prediction – Manchester City
Group A is probably the toughest group to call but I’m backing Pep Guardiola’s side to edge it. Manchester City started the season with a defeat but they have since scored 11 goals without reply and while PSG hold a perfect Ligue 1 record so far you cannot overlook the difference in quality between Ligue 1 and the Premier League.
Both these sides have won their last four Champions League groups but on the balance of how things are going this summer I fancy City to pip the Parisiens. RB Leipzig are a decent side but just aren’t on the same level as the two oil-rich clubs, while Club Brugge topping Group A would go down as one of the biggest shocks in Champions League history.
Group B winners prediction – Liverpool
Liverpool struggled desperately with injuries last season but even then they managed to top their Champions League group. Now their injury crisis is over and they look back to their best I can’t see anyone in Group B stopping them.
Atletico Madrid are undeniably a very good team but they haven’t won a Champions League group since 2016/17 and AC Milan look fairly ordinary in comparison to both of those sides. Porto have topped a Champions League group twice in the last ten years but both of those came in relatively weak groups. This is anything but weak.
Group C winners prediction – Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund have managed to keep hold of Erling Haaland and that alone should be enough for them to top Group C. The Norwegian marksman has scored a remarkable 13 goals in nine games for club and country this season and he can lead Dortmund’s charge.
Ajax are still a solid team but they are nowhere near the level they were at in 2018/19 and last season lost both group games against Liverpool and only took one point from two clashes with Atalanta. Sporting Lisbon are making their first Champions League Group Stage appearance since 2017/18 and they haven’t topped a group in either continental competition since 2011/12.
Besiktas don’t actually look bad value at 10/1 considering they won their group in their last Champions League appearance in 2017/18, but there’s no denying they are short on quality compared to the other three teams.
Group D winners prediction – Real Madrid
Real Madrid are clear and justified favourites for Group D. The most successful side in European Cup history, their main rivals for the top spot are an Inter Milan side that have sold Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi. The loss of Lukaku is huge for them and I can’t see them outdoing Los Blancos.
Shakhtar Donetsk and Group Stage debutants Sheriff Tiraspol are huge outsiders, with the Ukrainian outfit winning their group just once since their Champions League debut in 2000/01 and Sheriff facing tougher opposition than they have ever faced before.
Group E winners prediction – Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich have won their Champions League group in each of the last three seasons and their main rivals for the top spot are a Barcelona side in turmoil.
The Catalan giants failed to win their group for the first time since 2006/07 last season and this season they face the task of outdoing a Bayern side without Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich can call on possibly the most in-form striker in the world right now, with Lewandowski already scoring 11 competitive goals this season and bagging 28 Champions League goals in the last three seasons.
Benfica haven’t won a group stage in either the Champions League or Europa League since 2011/12 and Dynamo Kiev haven’t topped a group in this competition since 1998/99.
Group F winners prediction – Manchester United
Manchester United may have lost to Villarreal in the Europa League Final but the Spaniards weren’t exactly the most progressive side in that game and despite their top-seed status they are only third-favourites to win Group F.
Atalanta pose a greater threat but in their two Champions League forays they have finished as runners up in both of them, while prior to this Young Boys had only made the group stages once since the turn of the millennium.
Add the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo to the mix – probably the greatest player in Champions League history – and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side should be winning this one with ease.
Group G winners prediction – Sevilla
Almost unquestionably the weakest of the groups, Sevilla are justified favourites to top Group G. They haven’t won a Champions League group since 2009/10 but their rivals aren’t exactly superpowers either.
Ligue 1 champions Lille have lost their manager along with a few key players from their title-winning side, while Wolfsburg have only appeared in the Champions League Group Stage twice before and Salzburg, for all their entertaining attacking football, have never made it to the Champions League knockout rounds.
Group H winners prediction – Chelsea
Chelsea’s Champions League defence should begin with a top spot in Group H, with their main rivals being a Juventus side who lost Cristiano Ronaldo at the tail end of the transfer window and are yet to win in Serie A this season.
The Blues have topped their group in four of their last six appearances in the competition and the likes of Zenit and Malmo aren’t expected to put up much of a fight. I’d back Chelsea over Juventus and that’s likely to be the deciding factor in Group H.
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56/1 acca for this week’s best televised games
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