Reacting to the UCL draw 2023/24
The draw has thrown up some highly anticipated clashes between the European football’s heavyweights. …
The wait is finally over — Champions League football is back. The eagerly awaited draw took place in Monaco as the 32 clubs discovered their group stage opponents. The draw has thrown up some mouth watering ties so without any further delay, let’s take a look at them:
Bayern vs Manchester United:
On paper, this is a must-watch. United fans obviously have very fond memories of this fixture; in the 1999 Champions League final, two late goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær cancelled out Mario Basler’s early goal for Bayern to give Manchester United a 2–1 win and their first European Cup title since 1968. The Bundesliga champions will start this fixture as the favourites having added the England captain and one of the world’s best strikers in Harry Kane to their cavalry over the summer. Moreover, Kim-Min Jae’s arrival has shored up their defence. United though possess the ability to give them a game, having secured the signatures of Onana, Mount, Hojlund & Amrabat in the summer, they can beat any side on their day. Onana’s exceptional ball playing ability helps Ten Hag’s side in their ball progression up the pitch while the addition of Mount and Amrabat has strengthened their midfield. Hojlund’s arrival as the striker helps Marcus Rashford to play off the left, where he flourishes the most.
Napoli vs Real Madrid:
Los Blancos are sure to be given a stiff test by the reigning Italion champions, Napoli. There’s been a change of coach at Napoli: Luciano Spalletti, the man who let them to the Scudetto last season, has been replaced by Rudi Garcia but star players, Kvaratskhelia and Victor Oshimen have stayed put in Naples. Napoli have also signed Jesper Lindstrom from Frankfurt in a £25M deal with the Danish midfielder bolstering their already fearful attack. Real Madrid have strengthened their already star studded midfield with the capture of Jude Bellingham from Dortmund. The England midfielder has had a dream start to life in Spain, with 5 goals in 4 games. Karim Benzema has left the record UCL winners but with the arrivals of Joselu and Brahim Diaz and the presence of Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo, Madrid still have enough muscle in attack. This fixture should be a really interesting watch.
Group F:
How can we not talk about group F, the group of death? Every match in this group is an absolute cracker and this will surely provide some thrill to the football fans.
Newcastle vs Milan; this game sees Sandro Tonali return to the San Siro less than 2 months after leaving for Tyneside. This seems like the definition of anyone’s game. Rafael Leao and Pulisic should keep Newcastle defence on their toes while Anthony Gordon and Miguel Almiron will try to reciprocate this on the opposite end of the pitch. Keep a close eye on this game because this could quickly turn one way and then the other…expect it to be closely fought.
PSG vs Newcastle; what’s certain is that the Toon army would be excited to see Kylian Mbappe play at St James’ Park in front of their eyes. Expect a crazy atmosphere at St James’ Park when PSG visit. If you were told 5 years ago that Mbappe would play at Newcastle, would you have believed it? The honest answer is, “No” — you would have probably laughed at this suggestion. The Magpies want to challenge at the elite level and compete with the big boys and this might well to prove their toughest challenge. PSG start as overwhelming favourites but Eddie Howe’s men will not go down without a proper fight.
Dortmund vs Milan; This is another perfect example of anybody’s game. Its quite hard to point out a clear favourite, the team that goes into the game with better form is likely to come out as the winner. It promises to be a special game for Christian Pulisic, who returns to Signal Iduna Park, the home of Dortmund, where it all really kicked off for him. Right now, Dortmund look weak defensively so Milan, who possess a terrifying attack, comprising up of Rafael Leao, Giroud and ofcourse, Pulisic, will really look to exploit that. With Adeyemi, Malen, Fulkrug and Haller, BVB will also score lots of goals. This could game potentially be a 3–3 thriller. Expect goals galore…
PSG vs Milan; Another game in group F, another return; this time its Gianluigi Donnarumma who returns to his former club. Things didn’t quite end well for the Italian goalkeeper at Milan so don’t expect him to get a nice reception from the San Siro crowd. Instead, things could get very spicy. On the pitch though, PSG will start the game confident of a win. They’ve made 11- Yes, 11- signings this summer as the board has once again shown clear ambitions to try and finally win the Champions league. Luis Enrique has been backed and the French champions, now possess an all French attack — Mbappe, Kuolo Muani and Dembele. Milan are no pushovers and they have revitalized their XI after the sale of Sandro Tonali. Loftus Cheek and Pulisic are already looking like bargains. Chukwueze looks like another smart acquisition by Milan. All signs hint towards a really entertaining watch.
Thank you very much for reading! Leave your thoughts on these games in the comments…
