Bayern Munich will begin the defence of their Champions League crown when they battle Atletico Madrid at the Allianz Arena in a Group A classic. Bayern have had a shaky start to their campaign due to a reduced off season, with a 4-1 defeat to Hoffenheim the stand out result. But they have continued to do well on the other end of the pitch, with Robert Lewandowski netting seven goals and bagging three assists already. Atleti have had less problems and have now gone 273 minutes without conceding a goal. Luis Suarez has scored three goals in his four appearances so far and will be looking to get on the score sheet here once again. The Bavarians are the favorites, but Atleti cannot be ruled out.
Red Bull Salzburg will be looking to continue their free scoring form against Lokomotiv Moscow at the Red Bull Arena. Both teams are outsiders in a group featuring Bayern and Atleti, but a Europa League spot remains up for grabs.
Group B favorites Real Madrid play host to Shakhtar Donetsk at the Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blanco haven’t been the same in the competition since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, and one can imagine that will be their main focus this season. They remain a force to be reckoned with however, with their 13 wins making then the most successful team in the competition. Shakhtar have never beaten Real before and have conceded four or more goals in all their encounters. Real will be expected to pick up a comfortable victory.
Inter Milan will take on Borussia Monchengladbach at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The Italian giants may be on the back of defeat in the Milan Derby, but they have had a good start to the season. Goals have been scored with Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez impressing in attack. Borussia on the other hand finished fourth in the Bundesliga last season and are hard to get past on their day. They were 3-2 winners last time they faced Inter, and they will hope to repeat that feat.
Manchester City will be favorites to win Group C, and they will begin their campaign against FC Porto at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola’s side could only reach the quarter finals last season, and they have had an inconsistenct start to the season. A 5-2 loss at home to Leicester wasn’t ideal, but they warmed up for this by beating Arsenal 1-0 thanks to a goal from Raheem Sterling. Porto have had a Rocky start to their campaign and are five points behind Benfica in the Portuguese league already. They have never beaten City before and the Citizens should run out winners here.
Olympiacos and Marseille will clash at the Karaiskakis Stadium as both teams look to get off to winning starts.
Liverpool will be faced with a tough task when they travel to face Ajax at the Amsterdam Arena in their Group D opener. The last couple of weeks have been one to forget for the Reds. A 7-2 defeat to Aston Villa was followed by a draw against Everton and to top it all off, defender Virgil Van Dijk could miss the rest of the season after picking up a serious injury against Everton. Surprisingly Ajax and Liverpool have never clashed before, and the Dutch side will want to make the most of this first encounter. It should be a clash littered with goals, with Ajax pulling off a possible upset.
