There is no doubt that Group F is the so-called ‘Group of Death’, with every single team in the group being capable of making it into the knockout stages. All eyes will be on Newcastle, who have qualified for the tournament for the first time in twenty years – however their return couldn’t have been any more brutal.
PSG are one of the best sides in Europe, Dortmund almost won the Bundesliga last season and AC Milan reached the semifinals of the Champions League. This group will definitely be the most exciting to watch this season, and it’s impossible to predict the outcome. Newcastle will want to make a statement on their return to Europe, but this may prove difficult considering the strength of this group.
PSG
PSG are currently at a crossroads. Lionel Messi and Neymar have left the club, meanwhile Kylian Mbappe looks like he’ll be the next to go. The team’s response to this, however, has been perfect, assembling a solid squad of players who hopefully (perhaps unlike their predecessors) can put their egos aside for the benefit of the team.
Randal Kolo Muani has been brought in from Frankfurt for a massive fee, and their attack has also benefitted from the arrival of Ousmane Dembélé. They’ve improved their defensive depth too (something they desperately needed to do) as they managed to pick up Milan Skriniar on a free, and also opted to bring in Lucas Hernández from Bayern.
There’s no doubt that PSG are the strongest side in this group. They have experienced world-class players in every position, and I definitely see them winning the group. A deep run into the competition also doesn’t seem to be an unreasonable ask, and the team and their fans will be hoping to make it as far as the semis, or maybe even further.
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund have had a poor start to the season, sitting seventh after four games, but they’ll be hoping to turn this poor form around in the Champions League.
Of course, the main change in their team is the departure of Bundesliga Player of the Season Jude Bellingham. The signings Dortmund have brought in this summer don’t seem to fill the gap the young Englishman leaves behind.
They’ve signed Felix Nmecha from Wolfsburg and Marcel Sabitzer from Bayern, and while these are both talented players, they’re simply not on the same level as their predecessor. Their signing of left-back Ramy Bensebaini doesn’t seem to have completely solved the issues caused by the departure of Guerreiro this summer.
However, one signing which has the potential to make a world of difference is the arrival of Bundesliga top goal scorer Niclas Füllkrug from Bremen. Should Füllkrug be able to find last season’s form in the Champions League, he could be the difference between advancement and an early trip back to the Ruhr.
AC Milan
Last season AC Milan exceeded expectations, reaching the semifinals of the Champions League and the confidence this will have given them could certainly help them make it out of the group this time around.
Sandro Tonali’s absence could potentially be a key difference this season, as he joined fellow Group F side Newcastle. However, Milan have reinvested the money well, bringing in depth on the wings (Christian Pulisic and Samuel Chukwueze) and also in midfield (Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Yunus Musah and Tijjani Reijnders).
Milan have as good a chance of advancing from this group as anyone else. At their best, they could beat any team in this group, but only time will tell if they can fulfil this potential and make the knockout rounds.
Newcastle United
Newcastle are finally back in Europe. It’s been a long time coming, but the recent investment which has come their way has propelled them into the top four and they only look to be improving. Sadly for The Magpies, their return to European football will be a baptism of fire, as they face the toughest group in the competition. This being said, there’s no reason they can’t compete to make it through to the knockout stages.
Sandro Tonali is the main addition of this summer, who will be excited to play against his former club AC Milan in their first UCL clash. He’s hit the ground running at St James Park, but he hasn’t solved all of Newcastle’s problems. Last season, Newcastle were characterised by their solid defensive play and the lack of goals they conceded but having lost three of the first five this season, their confidence will certainly have taken a knock.
It seems unlikely that Newcastle will make into the knockout stages based on their current form, but should they rediscover last season’s form they’ll certainly cause some difficulties for the rest of the group.
