Champions League Group Stage Draw

By: Taylor Rockwell | August 27th, 2009

With yesterday’s games in the books, the draw for the Champions League Group Stage will take place today. Coverage of the event begins at 16:30 BST (with the actual draw to take place closer to 17:00 BST). Looking at the pots, I must admit that I am only seeing the negative scenarios, which gives me considerable pause for concern. I mean, take a look at them for a second:

POT 1: Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, AC Milan, Arsenal, FC Sevilla, Bayern Munich
POT 2: Lyon, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, CSKA Moskow, FC Porto, AZ Alkmaar, Juventus, Rangers
POT 3: Olympiakos, Marseille, Dynamo Kiev, VfB Stuttgart, Fiorentina, Atletico Madrid, Bordeaux, Besiktas
POT 4: VfL Wolfsburg, Standard Liege, Maccabi Haifa, FC Zurich, FC Rubin Kazan, Unirea Urziceni, APOEL, Debreceni

That means that it is feasible that United could end up in a group with Real Madrid, Fiorentina, and WfL Wolfsburg. Would the term “Group of Death” even do accurate justice to a grouping like that? To be fair, United could also draw AZ Alkmaar, Kiev, and FC Rubin Kazan. Really, anything is possible at this point.

Teams That I Wouldn’t Mind Drawing:

Rangers – Always nice to get a game against Scottish opposition, nevermind the fact that they aren’t quite as heavy a hitter as Franco FC or Juventus.

Inter – Although the Special One doesn’t take too kindly to defeat, United seemed to have his number in the knockout stages last season. The clash of styles, temperaments, and personalities would be a very good thing for the Group Stage.

Lyon – No Benzema = Bring it on. Lyon have consistently struggled in the Champions League, and somehow I feel like losing their most deadly player won’t exactly help them break that trend.

Marseille – A skilled French team to say the least, but I would much prefer them to most others in that group (Fiorentina, Atletico, or Bordeaux). Speaking of…

Teams That I Would Mind Drawing

Franco FC – I want to play them very badly. I really do. But I don’t want to do it spread out over a Group Stage. I want them in the knockout round, and I want to humiliate them. But not early on.

Juventus – I am fully convinced that the Old Lady will be the only Italian team to challenge Inter for the top spot in Serie A, and the main reason for that is the acquisition of Diego (the one player I really wish United had signed). Juventus are always tough, and traveling to a hostile Italian stadium isn’t something I look forward to doing in the Group Stage.

Bordeaux – I absolutely do not want any bit of Bordeaux. It’s not that I think they’ll throw anything at United that Fergie can’t handle. I just have a hunch that they would go out of their way to throw everything possible at United, nevermind the fact that they’re coached by Laurent Blanc (I man who wouldn’t mind showing the potential future Old Trafford employers what he’s capable of).

Besiktas – I just returned from Turkey, and all of my memories of how hostile that Inonu Stadium is came back to life. It would definitely prove an interesting, exciting experience, but do I really want United flying literally across all of Europe for a group stage game, and then flying all the way back to face Premier League opposition at the weekend? No… I really, really don’t…

Taylor’s Completely Random Group Draw Guess
I am going to throw out the reverse jinx and pick the group that I absolutely do not want to see. So, that’s United, Juventus, Bordeaux, and Wolfsburg. It was a toss up between Juventus and Rangers, and Bordeaux and Atletico, but I’ve made my selection. If that happens, I may start drinking early today. Not because I’m nervous about the result, but because that’s just a bit too much drama for a stone sober Taylor to handle.

And you all? Predictions? Any teams you would particularly like? Any you steadfastly hope to avoid? Any suggestions for what beverage would be most fitting if we actually were in that group?

For further thoughts on the Group Draw, you can visit the Champions League Offside Page or go to Soccernet.com for the live draw.