During the previous round of Champions League fixtures, the standout result was Red Star Belgrade’s 2-0 upset victory over Liverpool. This was a result that not many saw coming. However, overshadowed in the buzz over this upset was the fact that Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1, leading to this year’s toughest Champions League group becoming ever tighter.
As things stand, Group C of the Champions League sees all four teams separated by just two points after four matchdays. Napoli and Liverpool have six points, PSG five, and Red Star four. When the group stage draw was first made, many considered Groups A, B, and C to be the most difficult, but in the former two cases this has proven false, with Borussia Dortmund and Atlético Madrid pulling well clear of Monaco in Group A, and Barcelona and Inter Milan doing likewise to Tottenham in Group B.
To give you an idea of how difficult Group C is, I will first analyse each team in the group.
PSG entered the competition as one of, if not the outright, favourites to win it all and bring the Champions League trophy back to France for the first time since 1993. Not a whole lot more that hasn’t already been said about this team needs to be. PSG are absolutely loaded, boasting superstars such as Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, and Edinson Cavani, as well as a capable supporting cast including the likes of Thomas Meunier, Marco Verratti, and Adrien Rabiot. However, although PSG have won every single one of their league games thus far, the general weakness of Ligue 1 has meant that this domestic dominance has not carried over into the Champions League. This fact is evidenced by PSG’s underwhelming Champions League record of one win, two draws, and one loss. This team, tipped by many to go all the way, might just be sent packing in the group stage.
Next, we come to Napoli. This is a team that had to retool during the off-season after losing Jorginho and, more crucially, head coach Maurizio Sarri, both to Chelsea.
With Sarri at the helm, Napoli had overachieved during the past three seasons. They twice finished second in Serie A, and, despite consistently underperforming in European competition, were always seen as a dangerous team. Now, with legendary coach Carlo Ancelotti in charge, Napoli could be in line for their best season in a long time, despite the departure of Gonzalo Higuaín.
Liverpool also cannot be overlooked. Much like Napoli, the Reds overachieved last season by reaching the Champions League final, largely thanks to the goalscoring prowess of superstar striker Mohamed Salah and the coaching genius of Jürgen Klopp. Liverpool also spent heavily over the off-season, bringing in Naby Keїta, Fabinho, Alisson, and Xherdan Shaqiri for a combined sum of over ₤168 million. Players such as Georginio Wijnaldum and Joe Gomez have also excelled, taking their levels of play to new heights. The heavy spending and player development have both borne fruit, at least in the Premier League, with Liverpool still unbeaten and only trailing Manchester City by two points. However, their Champions League campaign hit a snag after the shock loss to Red Star.
Speaking of Red Star, despite being regarded as by far the weakest team in the group before the tournament began, they have proven that they are not to be taken lightly. Players such as Lorenzo Ebecilio, Marko Marin, and Marko Gobeljić are better than most people think, and their draw against Napoli and victory over Liverpool have put them in a position in which they could potentially defy the odds and top their group.
Groups of Death usually feature nail-biting, nerve-wracking action, but not in the wildest dreams of most fans did they anticipate that Group C would be quite this tight. When all is said and done, at least one team, and perhaps two, expected to progress further in this year’s Champions League will not. This bloodbath of a group is far from over, and the last two matchdays will be utterly crucial.
I leave you with one final thought: with two Champions League matchdays to go, Red Star Belgrade could conceivably finish top of the group, while PSG could finish bottom and even miss entry into the Europa League.
Let that sink in.
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