The Champions League draw was kind to the particular five Spanish teams. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid dodged the big guns in Pot 1 after drawing against Napoli and Feyenoord, respectively. Barcelona were lucky enough to not face some of the challenging opponents. On the other hand, both Sevilla and Real Sociedad were put in groups where they had a chance of reaching the last 16.
The best Champions League draw possible for only five Spanish sides
The group of death is the one with PSG, Dortmund, AC Milan and Newcastle in Group F. Hence, Luis Enrique will have a challenging road to get through to the next round. None desired Newcastle in Pot 4, and the bombshell was surely PSG, who found themselves up against Milan in Pot 3.
The road in front of Barcelona looks simple. The objective of getting out of the first round after two consecutive seasons of failure seems more prominent given their opponents: Porto, Shakhtar and Antwerp. The Belgians are set to make their Champions League debut, the Ukrainians must play in exile in Hamburg, and Porto doesn’t seem as strong as they have been in recent years.
Real Madrid was in Pot 2 and had a challenge against City, PSG and Bayern. The good luck for meeting Napoli suggests they will be up against three teams with minor exposure to the Champions League. Napoli, the Italian champions, will again cross Madrid’s path and be up against the Portuguese side Braga and Union Berlin, who are debuting in the top continental championship.
With the weakest opponent from Pot 1 in Feyenoord, Atletico were drawn. Celtic are a squad that’s far from Diego Simeone’s team’s level. Only Lazio seems to be the team that is capable of fighting with the red-and-white team in Group E.
Sevilla & Real Sociedad stand a chance
The two Spanish sides with little experience in the Champions League were satisfied after the draw. Sevilla will need to face a tricky opponent in Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal but have two easier opponents in PSV and Lens.
Real Sociedad have challenging opponents in Inter, Benfica and FC Salzburg. But, they seem to be quite capable enough to battle for a place in the next round.
With the Champions League schedule announced, global football fans can’t hold their breath anymore! So much excitement, thrills, sleepless nights, and cheering for the favourite team are on the way! Twenty-four groups have been finalised.
Who are you going to cheer for this UCL 2023?
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