Champions' League 2012 / 2013 Pt. I

The beginning of the Champions' League is one of my favorite times of year. Hands down the best football is played in this tournament and every year there are some mouthwatering match-ups between Europe's elite clubs, plus an array of teams pushing to be known as the next season's giant-killer. I get a little sentimental whenever I hear the Champions' League anthem for the first time each season, knowing what lies around the corner: excitement, drama, exaltation, dejection. 

Some groups have more standout sagas than others. Here are my comments on what to look out for along with a few predictions. 

GROUP A (Porto, Dynamo Kyiv, PSG, Dinamo Zagreb)

Ibra: worth the pay stub?

Rest assured the headlines for Group A clashes will be of a financial nature: will PSG's millions be able to buy them advancement into the tournament? With Porto the only clear standout in this group, PSG's advancement would seem all but guaranteed, but after drawing the first of their three games in France's League 1, the PSG experiment seems to be fumbling. PSG will hope that their big summer signings of Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Lavezzi start paying dividends. With a starting lineup that is increasingly looking like a FIFA 2013 fantasy lineup, PSG will be turning heads. PSG reminds me of Man City right after they had a billion dollars thrown at them: huge pay stubs, very little chemistry. Expect some headline making surprises in this group as teams with much more chemistry break down PSG. Although he had a hot-and-cold EURO, Porto's Moutinho managed to stay with his club despite suitors from the EPL and looks like being the potential stand out player in this group if his play-making form continues from the previous season. 

Prediction: I am going to let my pessimism shine through and say that: Porto and Dynamo Kyiv advance. 

GROUP B (Arsenal, Schalke 04, Olympiacos, Montpellier)

New boys celebrate against Liverpool. 

The "irony" of this group is that the most talked of player will not even feature in it: Robin Van Persie. On paper this is a very nice draw for Arsenal to feature nicely on the top of the group, but rest assured if Arsenal fail to score RVP's name will be exhausted in football columns everywhere (and face it, if they score "in spite of" losing RVP, they will write about him regardless). Arsenal is looking to have the best defense in the EPL and should be able to keep many clean sheets against three teams with limited CL pedigrees. The recent performance of Podolski and Cazorla at Liverpool demonstrate that Arsenal might be creating a strong attacking side, which can only get better as players return from injury. 

I expect the second place to go comfortably to Schalke 04 as they get another good performance from Dutchmen Huntelaar and new-loan Afellay. 

Prediction: Quite easily Arsenal and Schalke 04. 

GROUP C (AC Milan, Zenit St. Petersburg, Anderlecht, Malaga)

Will Malaga announce themselves to the world this CL season?

AC Milan - much like Arsenal - will have journalists talking about who they sold, rather than their performances. Losing two of their star players to PSG - Ibra and Thiago Silva - the team looks to be in a bit of shambles. Their 5-1 thumping to Real Madrid in a summer friendly demonstrated how thin their defense appears without Silva and conceeding three to Juventus and one to Sampdoria demonstrated that AC Milan is potentially in a spot of trouble defensively. AC Milan never really replaced either player and with Pato constantly injured and Robinho being Robinho, AC Milan might have a tricky season. 

Malaga in 2010 joined the list of clubs who have "oil"-igarch sugar daddies. While they haven't spent as debaucherously as PSG, City or Chelsea, they have tossed some coin around. The opening of their La Liga season has looked promising and they look like they can make waves with their play. However, like PSG a lot of their purchases are aging: Saviola, Demichelis, Baptista, etc. Will this team be able to contest on multiple fronts? Time will tell. 

Zenit has demonstrated in previous seasons that they can play well as a team and aren't intimidated by bigger teams. I expect them to be the surprise performers of this group with their talented array of foreign players such as Bruno Alves, Danny, Hulk and new-boy Axel Witsel combining with the Russian stars to make a good perfomance. 

Prediction: Tough one. I am going to say AC Milan simply because of pedigree and Zenit St. Petersburg. 

GROUP D (Real Madrid, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax)

Jesus wept. What a group! Four league winners and some of the biggest stars of world football all in one group: this is precisely why the CL is the tournament that it is. 

Lewandowski: top striker. 

Based purely on line-ups, it is very easy to say that Real Madrid and Manchester City will run away with this group. The starting XI and benches of both teams are arguably the two best in the world. However, City fumbled in their first European attempt last year. This CL campaign City's biggest enemy will be its weak defense - City has conceded in every EPL game and the community shield. Mancini's side is very much stream-lined to be a Luftwaffe lighting-attack side, but this has left them a little short at the back. This could pose a problem as Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax all have lethal strikers who can pounce on any opportunity given to them. However, if City rediscovers the defensive combination of last year, they will prove to be a stiff competition to all. 

For myself, the biggest talking point will be Borussia Dortmund - a team I have absolutely fallen in love with. Combining the best players from Poland (Kuba, Pisczek, Lewandowski) with some of the key young cogs in the German machine (Reus, Goetze, Hummels), they are a master-class team. Despite having significantly less finances than Bayern Munich (last year's CL finalists, lets not forget) they dismantled them on three separate occasions last year. Their performances in the CL have been luke-warm and last year they failed to convert their domestic form abroad. However, they look as lethal as ever once again, and they will itching to upset people's predictions for this group by qualifying for the next round. With both Real Madrid and City demonstrating defensive weaknesses expect Kuba-Reus-Lewandowski to take advantage with a trademark quick combination to take advantage. 

Predictions: Real Madrid for certain. Second place? Head says: City. Heart says: Borussia Dortmund.