Champions League 2012-13: Group D, Group E and Group F

                                            Group D

Manchester City FC – English champions

UEFA Ranking: 20

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 489,3 mio

3 most prolific players: Kompany, Silva, Aguero

Ambitions for the season:

Another title in the Premier League and semi-finals of the current Champions League edition.

The decisive match: 21-11: Manchester City-Real Madrid: Mancini’s team will probably not be ready for the next round before this match and this assumes one of the biggest matches of the group stage this year.

Borussia Dortmund – German champions

UEFA Ranking: 60

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 210,8 mio

3 most prolific players: Hummels, Goetze, Lewandowski

Ambitions for the season: Titles in Bundesliga can become meaningless for Jurgen Klopp, if Borussia doesn’t advance to at least quarterfinals of Champions League this year, so there is a lot at stake.

The decisive match: 04-12: Borussia-Manchester City: It is always the last matchday, where everything falls into place in “groups of death”. The draw chose a Dortmund winter day for such an occasion.

AFC Ajax – Dutch champions

UEFA Ranking: 25

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 83,7 mio

3 most prolific players: Eriksen, Babel, Poulsen

Ambitions for the season: Another Dutch title and advancement in Europa League for the unlucky champions of Netherlands.

The decisive match: 21-11: Ajax-Borussia: Because it is not realistic for Ajax to take points from Santiago Bernabeu, their last deciding match will take place on the 5th matchday, where the German champions will visit the Dutch champions.

Real Madrid CF – Spanish champions

UEFA Ranking: 5

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 601,3 mio

3 most prolific players: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo

Ambitions for the season: Gold medals in any competitions they are in. There is no second place for Jose Mourinho.

The decisive match: 18-09: Real Madrid-Manchester City: All of the 4 teams have reasons to feel unhappy appearing in such a group, composed by mainly champions; even Real Madrid. And to make some doubts become obsolete, Mourinho’s team will need to show some style and win their first match, when Manchester City will be hosted at Santiago Bernabeu.

                                             Group E

Juventus FC – Italian champions

UEFA Ranking: 36

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 307,2 mio

3 most prolific players: Buffon, Pirlo, Chiellini

Ambitions for the season: Another scudetto and semi-finals in Champions League will make the Old Lady’s season, taking into account the absence of their biggest inspiration Antonio Conte on the bench.

The decisive match: 20-11: Juventus-Chelsea: To avoid any kind of risks in the last match on a chilly Ukrainian evening, Juve will need to secure its  play-off place in the home match against title holders.

FC Shakhtar Donetsk – Ukrainian champions

UEFA Ranking: 12

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 150,4 mio

3 most prolific players: Srna, Willian, Mkhitaryan

Ambitions for the season: Another title in the domestic league will not be enough, especially after a bad Champions League campaign last season. Lucescu cannot surprise the supporters with Europa League titles any more, so advancement from the group and possible further development is something Shakhtar would like to achieve this year.

The decisive match: 23-10: Shakhtar-Chelsea: If the Ukrainian champions are there to apply for any surprises in this group stage, they will have to win the home match against Chelsea on the third matchday.

FC Nordsjælland – Danish champions

UEFA Ranking: 137

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 15,3 mio

3 most prolific players: Okore, Beckmann, Lorentzen

Ambitions for the season: Another title in the Danish league and a couple of good matches in Champions League group stage.

The decisive match: 19-09: Shakhtar-Nordsjælland: The Danish champions will not get many chances in this group stage, but to be able to show any signs of survival in future, they will need to return home with a point or three.

Chelsea FC – Champions League 2011-12 winner

UEFA Ranking: 4

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 365,0 mio

3 most prolific players: Cech, Terry, Fernando Torres

Ambitions for the season: Abramovic would like to win both the Premier and Champions Leagues, but being among the best 4 would be satisfactory.

The decisive match: 19-09: Chelsea-Juventus: The champions of champions need to rehabilitate in Europe after a shocking blow organized by Atletico Madrid in the European Super Cup match. A great occasion for this is the scheduled meeting of Chelasea and Juventus in the opening round. Taking into consideration the tournament schedule for this group, things could go totally wrong if Chelsea loses this one.

                                             Group F

Valencia CF – Spanish bronze medalists

UEFA Ranking: 10

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 180,0 mio

3 most prolific players: Rami, Jonas, Soldado

Ambitions for the season: Keep the bronze medals and reach the quarterfinals of Champions League.

The decisive match: 05-12: Lille-Valencia: The Spanish team would rather guarantee its place in the next round before the last matchday, but in a group with Bayern this might sound unrealistic. So the last match in France is automatically becoming the decisive one.

LOSC Lille – French bronze medalists

UEFA Ranking: 45

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 121,8 mio

3 most prolific players: Landreau, Debuchy, Martin

Ambitions for the season: A place in Champions league 2013-14 and a place in 1/8 finals this season.

The decisive match: 05-12: Lille-Valencia: If Lille is careful enough not to lose its advancement chances earlier in the previous rounds, the last match will become an absolute cracker.  

FC BATE Borisov – Belarusian champions

UEFA Ranking: 58

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 20,2 mio

3 most prolific players: Hleb, Bressan, Marko Simic

Ambitions for the season: Another title in Belarus and a good impression in Champions League group stage.

The decisive match: 19-09: Lille-BATE: The Belarusians are becoming an often participant in Champions League group stages. To turn into anything better than just a participant, BATE will have to show some quality in their opening match in France. 

FC Bayern München– German runners-up

UEFA Ranking: 2

Transfer amount of all players: EUR 416,5 mio

3 most prolific players: Schweinsteiger, Robben, Mario Gomez

Ambitions for the season: After an all-silver season Bayern needs to take at least one of the golden medals at stake in Bundesliga and Champions League.

The decisive match: 07-11: Bayern-Lille: Here is the point, where Bayern’s destiny in the group stage can be clearer. A win should be a must in this match of a fourth matchday.