Photocredit: fifplay.com
Through two games of Champions League play for the 2019/2020 season we actually have some interesting developments going on. Many of these however can be completely undone in the third game if teams who have put themselves into trouble come out of it by winning their third game.
In Group A we have PSG looking to be the winner already through two games having 6 points while no one else has more than 2 thanks to Brugge grabbing a draw at the Bernabeu. While it would be a bad bet to think Real Madrid can't come out of this in second, they have certainly made it more difficult on themselves. Any upset with Galatasaray winning one of the two games coming up could be what turns this group on its head but as long as Real come out of the two games having won one and drawn the other would mean Real is in a perfect spot to take second assuming Club Brugge can't get a result against PSG. Club Brugge could also turn the group on its head by winning a game. That isn't very likely to happen however. PSG should finish first with Real Madrid in second.
Group B also has some good drama going on with Tottenham having been expected to easily finish second, if not first, having a difficult go of it. I've already gone into detail about Real and Tottenham in a separate post. Expect Bayern to cruise through this group in first. Tottenham finishing second is nowhere near automatic anymore but when the going gets tough they should get the wins they need to finish second. The big player in this group is Red Star Belgrade. Red Star could make this a nightmare by getting key results at home. Red Star winning even one more game insures that Tottenham have to win at least two of the remaining four. Still expect Tottenham to come out in third though for now. It would take a loss at Red Star to convince that they are in serious trouble.
Group C isn't a particularly interesting group as Man City is breezing through it. Zagreb and Donetsk haven't played each other yet and will meet in the next two. Those games should decide who finishes second while Atalanta could still yet play spoiler later on.
Group D might be the most straight forward group of them all with Juventus and Atletico getting routine wins against Leverkusen and Lokamotiv Moscow respectively and drawing with each other in the first game. Juve will have the advantage knowing that the next time these two meet, it will be in Turin. First and second look pretty clear in this group however as of now.
Group E is a more interesting group than anyone would have expected going into the tournament. Liverpool would have been expected to steamroll their way through this group but their loss to Napoli, along with the nature of their game against Salzburg (Despite winning) will leave fans interested in how this unfolds. Napoli did blow a great chance to take control of the group by only managing a draw at Genk, who Salzburg beat convincingly in the first game. Salzburg is a more dangerous team than people realized going into the season and will have a huge part to play in how this group ends. Still expect Liverpool to come out of this as they should get more focused as the season progresses, but it's no longer clear cut Napoli gets out of the group stages. Their upcoming games against Salzburg will be enormous in seeing how this happens. Salzburg will be entertaining but still expect Napoli to come out of this. Their win against Liverpool will help them tremendously as the group stage continues.
Group F was touted as the group of death going into the tournament. It has actually somewhat disappointed in that regard. After a good first half where Inter looked like they may get a result at the Nou Camp, Barcelona came out in the second half making it clear who the better team was. Combine that with Inter's inability to get the win at home to Slavia Prague and Dortmund and Barca have found themselves in excellent shape to come out of this group in first and second. Barcelona have the luxury of playing at home when the two meet next which could be the decider. Expect Barca to win that one and come out first with Dortmund second.
Group G is the group with the least flattering names in it. Zenit put in a solid 3-1 victory this week and getting the draw in Lyon in game 1 puts them in a good position. RB Leipzig after an impressive win at Benfica in game 1 stuttered at home to Lyon this week following a really bad domestic game against Schalke 04. They'll need to sort this out quick but luckily for them an international break may be just what they needed to get back on track. Despite being held to a draw at home against Zenit, Lyon have what it takes to win this group in the end and will be disappointed if they can't get results against Benfica when both other clubs were able to do so. RB Leipzig should have what it takes to finish second but their upcoming matches against Zenit will paint a better picture as to whether Leipzig is ready to take another step forward.
Group H has seen Ajax pick up right where they left off even without Frenkie De Jong and Matthijs De Ligt. Not only have they opened up with two wins, they were both impressive 3-0 wins both at home to Lille and at Valencia. With those results, they are in pole position to finish first in the group with both Chelsea and Valencia having a loss. Chelsea still control their destiny though if they can manage to win both fixtures against the Dutch side in the next two. Ajax have what it takes to get results against this young Chelsea side however and hold them off for first. Chelsea should finish second with their young players getting better even as the season moves along. Valencia could be a very annoying side just like last year though and make things dicey as they did pull off winning in London and a win at home could put Chelsea in trouble. This is a very intriguing group but Ajax finishing in first with Chelsea in second seems about right.
The nice thing about this year's group stage is that only a group or two are actually going exactly as you would have expected and plenty of interesting games are on the horizon in games 3 and 4. The highlights for me would be the two matches between Real Madrid/Galatasaray, Red Star/Tottenham, and Chelsea/Ajax in particular.
