Group A has two giant teams vying for the trophy, but both sides should reach the round of 16. Who will join them? Mark Ogden predicts the groups.
Lionel Messi will face Pep Guardiola — and maybe even Cristiano Ronaldo — in a blockbuster Champions League clash after Paris Saint-Germain were paired with Manchester City in Group A of this season’s competition. City and PSG, the last two losing finalists in the Champions League, have both invested huge sums in player recruitment this summer in an effort to end their shared desperation to win the competition for the first time. And Messi, who came close to leaving Barcelona for City last season, will head to the Etihad Stadium with PSG after completing a shock move to the French giants earlier this month. — Champions League draw: Man City, PSG drawn in Group D — Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only) — Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access Fellow former Champions League winners Sergio Ramos and Georginio Wijnaldum have also moved to Paris, with Gianluigi Donnarumma and Achraf Hakimi adding to Mauricio Pochettino’s stellar squad. But City have also been busy in the market, adding £100m star midfielder Jack Grealish from Aston Villa. And although Spurs forward Harry Kane abandoned his hopes of a move to the Etihad before the window closes on Aug.31, sources have told ESPN that Guardiola is now close to agreeing a deal to take former Manchester United star Ronaldo from Juventus. City and PSG must overcome RB Leipzig and Club Brugge In Group A, which is one of the toughest sections among the eight groups. Elsewhere in the draw, three former Champions League winners — Liverpool, Porto and AC Milan — have been drawn alongside Spanish champions Atletico Madrid in Group B, while Bayern Munich and Barcelona will battle for top spot in Group E. Manchester United and Villarreal have been paired together in Group F, ensuring a repeat of last season’s Europa League final won by the Spanish team, while Moldovan champions Sheriff Tiraspol will mark their competition debut with games against Inter Milan and Real Madrid in Group D. So how will it all play out? Here are our predictions for the group stages. This is the group that could provide the eventual winners, with City and PSG likely to be among the favourites to make it to the final in Saint Petersburg next May, but don’t rule out RB Leipzig as a dangerous outsider capable of upsetting the two mega clubs from England and France. American coach Jesse Marsch has taken on the tough task of succeeding Julian Nagelsmann at Leipzig, but the squad that beat PSG and Manchester United in last season’s group stage is still largely intact, albeit with the exception of departed defenders Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate. If City land Ronaldo as a replacement for Sergio Aguero, now at Barcelona, they will expect to coast through the group, but goals could be a problem if they don’t sign a striker before the Aug 31 deadline.
