As hard as it is to believe, the UEFA Champions League group stage approaches its final match week. However, the drama is far from over. There is an exciting storyline in Group H, as two clubs will duke it out in hopes of advancing to the knockout stage and sending their opponent home. After the initial draw, many predicted Group F to be the most competitive grouping in the entire tournament, and right now, it’s anyone’s guess who will advance. Of course, the biggest question of the UCL is which club will be crowned champions of Europe? We will discuss this and more in this week’s edition of Sargeant’s Orders.
Group H: A win and you’re in FC Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk
If you’re a fan of last-day drama, look no further than Group H. As it stands, FC Barcelona is in first place with 12 points; behind them are FC Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk with nine points. Only two can advance, and what better way to decide than to have the two sides scrap it out? With the way the round-robin schedule was originally made, these two clubs will fight to keep their playoff hopes alive on Dec. 13. In their last matchup, Porto fell short 3-1, although it’s anyone’s guess who will come on top. Both teams have gotten off to a solid start in their respective leagues, enjoying a top five position on their tables. A draw is no good for Shakhtar, as Porto has a five-goal differential advantage, meaning they will advance based on a draw, although there’s no reason to think that the Portuguese top-flight’s will settle for anything less than a win. This is must-watch soccer. One side will leave Portugal elated, the other devastated. The fate of these clubs’ UCL season is on the line, and we should expect nothing short of a dramatic 90-minute battle to the very end.
Group F: A three-way race for second?
Immediately after the UEFA held its annual draw to decide the groupings, Group F was picked to be the most dicey one. These four clubs are all the most evenly matched, and it was essentially throwing darts, guessing who would advance to the knockout stage. Borussia Dortmund is in first place with a three-goal differential advantage. Three points behind them is Paris Saint-Germain with seven points. Newcastle United and AC Milan trail by two, so it’s anyone’s guess who will be the second team to qualify. BVB will play PSG on the final day of the group stage, and this is a fixture the German giants will try to win. A BVB loss would give PSG three points and a tie with them for first place. Trailing by two goals by goal differential, PSG needs to win by three goals or more for a top-seed. However, a PSG loss would almost guarantee their elimination from the UCL, as well as spell major questions as to what the future holds for Kylian Mbappé. Newcastle United and AC Milan are tied with each other, having five points, meaning a win would give that side eight and a spot in the knockout round only if PSG fails to upset the German top-flight.
Which club will stand above all come June 1st?
As it sits, Manchester City is the betting favorite to win back-to-back UCL titles, and it makes sense. City has been red-hot in their 2023-2024 English Premier League campaign, boasting a 9-2-3 record. If you aren’t convinced of their ability to win, just take their latest UCL win over RB Leipzig. Down 2-0 in the second half, many fans counted the Sky Blues out. However, in the 54th minute, Erling Haaland got his side on the board, scoring his 40th goal in 35 UCL matches. The Norwegian catalyzed what would be one of the best comebacks we have seen, as City scored three straight unanswered goals, giving them the 3-2 win, and clinching the top seed in Group G. Despite the defending champion’s success, they have been vulnerable as of late, failing to record a win in their last four EPL appearances. The Treble winners could run into trouble with the other clubs in this tournament, as the talent level we have seen so far is palpable. The Harry Kane-led Bayern Munich has been on fire this soccer season, holding a UCL record of 4-0-1. Not to mention, they are in second place in the competitive German Bundesliga, poised to win the league for a whopping 12th season in a row. Another team that will look to make some noise is Arsenal. The Gunners are off to an excellent UCL start and an even better EPL one. In fact, they are six points ahead of City for the English crown. The Arsenal captain, Bukayo Saka, has looked incredible, setting up goals left and right for his side. The 22-year-old has five goals and five assists in 14 matches of play. Perhaps the most impressive part of his play is his ability to know exactly where he is at all times on the pitch, as you will rarely catch him offsides, and he has shown the ability to make some incredible runs. A team that is not as heavily favored as the rest, yet I see making a deep run, is the talented BorussiaDortmund. BVM was tested early on, placing into the most competitive group stage. They have done an excellent job warding off the three other European giants. While they have not gotten off to the hottest start for their 2023-2024 Bundesliga campaign, the pieces are there, as they were only a win away last season from being crowned kings of Germany. The only sure bet right now is that for two days straight, there will be hard-fought soccer that football fans worldwide will want to tune in for.