Three out of the four English teams involved in the Champions League have won their groups. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United found their groups almost too easy at times. Surely the knockout stages will prove slightly more difficult for the three England giants.
Who next
With the groups now wrapped up we know who will be in the knockout stages. The winners of the groups will face the second place teams.
The English teams have had a big say in Europe’s top competition in the last few years and everybody expects it to be the same this year.
Difficult opponents
There are some top teams in the second place pot. Two of the prime examples are Inter and Bayern Munich. Neither have had the best of times in Europe this season. Bayern’s domestic form hasn’t been very impressive either. However there is signs that Louis Van Gaal is turning it around at the Allianz Arena.
Inter are doing ok this season but ok is never good enough for the demanding Inter fans. After dominating Italian domestic football for the last few years they now want European success. However they qualified in unimpressive style.
Despite their recent struggles you can never rule them out because they have such quality in their squads. The English sides wont fear anybody in that second pot but they would prefer a smooth progression rather than a tight nit close tie, were they have to battle and scrap for a victory.
Easier teams to face
When I look at the teams that finished second there are a few that stand out for me. Arguably the weakest side in the second pot I’d say are Olympiakos. Having watched them perform like terrified rabbits in the headlights against Arsenal reserves, the likes of United, Chelsea and Arsenal would be rubbing their hands at the prospect of facing the Greeks. I’m sure a full strength Arsenal side would have pulled them apart. The youngsters nearly knocked them out the competition.
Stuttgart have been struggling in recent weeks and months and secured their first victory in 13 games against Unirea in the last round of games. That 3-1 victory secured their qualification somehow. They have recently parted company with coach Markus Babbel and replaced him with former Tottenham boss Christian Gross. It seemed to do the trick as Stuttgart looked like a different team. Despite their victory over the Romanians, I doubt any of the top teams will be running scared of VFB.
Good chance
The English sides must be fancying their chances of making the later stages. European giants Real Madrid, AC Milan and Barcelona didn’t find qualification easy. Barcelona were still in danger of going out of the competition in the last game. I never really thought they would but when Artem Milevskiy gave Dinamo Kiev an early lead on Wednesday night, it did get me thinking what if!
Milan and Real Madrid didn’t perform at their best in the group stage but I never doubted that they would go through from group C. They will have to perform better in the knockout stages if they are to challenge for the trophy. Milan could be in trouble as they will be in the runners-up pot.
They could face Barcelona, Chelsea or even Real Madrid again. If they do then they will have to perform better than they did against the likes of FC Zurich and Marseille. Although they proved that they can still compete with the best after winning 3-2 at the Bernabeu. You just never know with AC.
Favourites
Chelsea and Barcelona are currently the joint favourites for the competition with the bookmakers. Real Madrid and Manchester United are trailing just behind. I really can’t see past those four for the trophy. Its clear that the top two leagues in Europe the Premier League and La Liga are streets ahead of the rest and the winner has to come from those two leagues.
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