Champions League Group Stages Guide: From Ronaldo’s homecoming to Guardiola’s mission

It’s time to adjust our sleep cycles and pray that livestream holds up because the Champions League is back. There are some thrilling matches on the menu, Old Man Ronaldo wearing the kit of the Old Lady, four proper Group of Deaths and the slow march to the Estadio Metropolitano which will host this year’s final.

Here are the important takeaways for this year’s Champions League group stages:

A group of European heavyweights with 11 European Cups between themselves, it will be a straightforward route to the Round of 16 for Bayern Munich. In Lewandowski, they possess one of the finest number nines in Europe.

The German club last won the title in 2013 and will hope to make their mark on Europe’s top competition. Many of their players are smarting from a lacklustre World Cup. The second spot should be taken by Ajax or Benfica.

Prediction 1) Bayern Munich 2) Ajax 3) Benfica 4) AEK Athens

Group F: Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon, Hoffenheim

(Guardiola/Reuters)

With their picture-perfect run in the Premier League last year, Guardiola will be eyeing the top prize. He failed to win it at Bayern Munich, despite all the league titles which had earned a jibe from Mourinho which went: “Maybe I will go to a country where a kitman can be coach and win the title.”

Of course, those jibes no longer fly given the way Guardiola put Mourinho’s Manchester United in its place, and Guardiola will look to deliver to his gracious patrons, Europe’s top prize.

Prediction 1) Manchester City 2) Lyon 3) Hoffenheim 4) Shakhtar Donetsk

Group G: Real Madrid, Roma, CSKA Moscow, Viktoria Plzen

(Luka Modric/Twitter)

Can Real Madrid do it four in a row? It looks very unlikely with the team looking to have finally entered the post-Ronaldo phase where they are looking a tad bit flatter like day-old champagne. With Ronaldo and Zidane’s departure, and the non-arrival of any big stars, Real Madrid look like a completely deferent proposition.

Last season, Roma played some of the most swashbuckling football in Europe, where they punctured Barcelona from 4-1 down to beat them 3-0 in one of the greatest comebacks of all time. They also lost 2-5 to Liverpool before they beat them 4-2 in a rocking Stadio delle Alpi.

Prediction: 1) Real Madrid 2) Roma 3) CSKA Moscow 4) Viktoria Plzen

Group H: Juventus, Manchester United, Valencia, BSC Young Boys

(Ronaldo/AFP)

This is a group of Old Boys returning to their former stomping grounds even though the group will certainly further wizen Mourinho’s brow further. Valencia are no pushovers either, and Ronaldo will be raring to prove at Manchester United that he’s still at the top of his game.

The same goes for Paul Pogba returning to Turin, but only if he doesn’t leave Manchester for greener pastures. Manchester United, in particular, appear to be in meltdown mode, and you wouldn’t put your money against Juventus topping this group.

Prediction 1) Juventus 2) Manchester United 3) Valencia) 4 Young Boys