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The UEFA Champions League, UCL, is the most competitive league in European football. It features all clubs from Europe with the best clubs qualifying for the group stage, then the rounds of 32 and 16. The Champions League 2021-22 will be as competitive as ever with the major teams facing player transfers and management scuffles.
FC Barcelona, for instance, is set to have a challenging UCL season following the transfers of phenomenal players such as Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann. The club is also facing mounting debt and financial difficulties and it will be interesting to see how it grapples with the current situation and how that affects its performance at the UCL. On matchday one of the group stage, Barcelona lost to Bayern Munich 3-0, showing just how difficult this season could turn out for the club.
Champions League Fixtures 2021-22
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) drew 1-1 with Club Brugge on matchday 1 of 6 in the group stage. It will play Manchester City on matchday 2 on Tuesday 28th September and on matchday 5 on 24th November 2021. PSG will also play RB Leipzig on matchday three on 19th October and also on matchday 4 on 3rd November 2021. The club will then play Club Brugge for the second time on matchday 6 on 7th December 2021.
Champions League 2021/22 Dates
The UCL is currently in the group stage which entails six matchdays. The first started on Tuesday the 14th and ended on the 15th of September. Matchday 2 will be played on Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th of September. Matchday 3 will be played on the 19th and 20th of October. Matchday 4 will follow on the 2nd and 3rd of November. On the other hand, Matchday 5 will be played on the 23rd and 24th of November. The last matchday of the group stage, matchday 6, will be played on the 7th and 8th of December 2021.
Champions League 2021/22 Favorites
The favorites to win the Champions League 2021-22 are Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as they recently signed Lionel Messi, arguably the best player in football. Messi will join a star-studded team including the likes of Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar. There is a saying about the UCL that to find the winner, “follow the money”. PSG is one of the richest clubs participating in the UEFA Champions League and have the financial wherewithal to see them win the league.
Other favorites include Manchester City and defending champions Chelsea. Man City have proven themselves time and again as capable of winning the UCL. They beat RB Leipzig 6-3 on matchday 1 of the group stage, showing that they convert well for goals. Chelsea, on the other hand, have such a strong defense and their manager, Thomas Tuchel, is a well-respected tactician. Chelsea beat Zenit 1-0 on matchday one, showing that they may need to strengthen their attack even as they have star players such as Mason Mount and the recently re-signed Romelu Lukaku.
Champions League 2021/22 Starting Date
The Champions League started on the 22nd of June 2021 with two legs for the first qualifying round and another two for the second and third qualifying rounds. The three qualifying rounds were followed by two legs of the play-offs that then led to the group stage. Matchday one saw Sevilla draw RB Salzburg 1-1, and Young Boys beat Man United 2-1, a shocking loss for the ‘Red Devils’. Lille drew 0-0 with Wolfsburg as did Dynamo Kyiv which drew 0-0 with Benfica. Villareal drew 2-2 with Atalanta.
Juventus beat Malmo 3-0 as did Bayern that also beat Barcelona 3-0. Dortmund beat Besiktas 2-1 on the second day of matchday 1. On the other hand, Sheriff beat Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 and Real Madrid beat Inter Milan 1-0. FC Porto drew Atletico Madrid 0-0 while PSG drew Club Brugge 1-1, in a game that saw Lionel Messi fail to score in his first UCL appearance for PSG. Liverpool beat AC Milan 3-2 as Ajax beat Sporting 5-1.
Who Will Win Champions League 2022?
The UCL 2021-22 will likely go to four of the richest clubs participating. These include PSG, Manchester City, Chelsea, or even Manchester United or Real Madrid. Man United recently signed Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the second-best player in football, and that reinforced its star-filled team including the likes of Bruno Fernandez, Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood, and Marcus Rashford.
Champions League 2021/22 Groups
The Champions League features 8 groups, starting with Group A to H.
Group A
Group A includes RB Leipzig, Club Brugge, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and Manchester City. Group A is arguably one of the toughest groups and Man City is currently leading the group with 3 points.
Group B
Group B includes AC Milan, FC Porto, Atletico Madrid, and Liverpool. Liverpool is currently on top of the group with 3 points.
Group C
Group C includes Sporting CP, Besiktas, Borussia Dortmund (BVB), and Ajax. Ajax is currently on top with 3 points with BVB also having 3 points in second.
Group D
Group D includes Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Sheriff. Sheriff is currently on top with 3 points with Real Madrid also having 3 points.
Group E
Group E includes FC Barcelona, Dynamo Kyiv, Benfica, and Bayern Munich. Bayern Munich is currently on top with 3 points with Barcelona trailing behind with 0 points so far. Group E is also a tough one and the teams will have to really bring their A-game this season.
Group F
Group F includes Manchester United, Villarreal, Atalanta, and Young Boys. Young Boys are currently on top with 3 points with Man United trailing behind with 0 points so far.
Group G
Group G includes Wolfsburg, LOSC, Sevilla, and RB Salzburg. All the teams have one point in Group G so far, making it interesting to see who will come on top.
Group H
Group H includes Malmo, Zenit, Chelsea, and Juventus. Juventus are currently on top with 3 points with Chelsea also having 3 points.
Champions League 2021-22 Round Of 16 Predictions
The UEFA Champions League 2021-22 round of 16 predictions from our team includes the following.
Group A: Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Group B: Liverpool and FC Porto.
Group C: Ajax and Borussia Dortmund (BVB).
Group D: Real Madrid and Inter Milan.
Group E: Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona.
Group F: Manchester United and Villareal.
Group G: Salzburg and Sevilla.
Group H: Chelsea and Juventus.
Champions League 2021/22 Teams
The Champions League’s teams include Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United, all English teams also playing in the English Premier League (EPL). Italian Serie A teams including Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Atalanta B.C, and S.S Lazio made it to the group stage. La Liga teams including FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla FC, Atletico Madrid, and Villareal CF also made it to the group stage.
From the French Ligue 1, we have PSG and Club Brugge. Bundesliga teams that qualified include Bayern Munich, RB Salzburg, RB Leipzig, Wolfsburg, and Borussia Dortmund. Ajax which plays in Eredivisie in the Netherlands also made it as did FC Porto which plays in the Primera Liga in Portugal.
