The UEFA Champions League 2021-2022 group stage began on September 14. Football fans were treated to some fantastic encounters in the first leg. Manchester City, PSG, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea are among the Champions League favorites this year. If Europe's established giant football clubs do flourish this season, fans may expect to see some spectacular matches in the knock-out stages. Which clubs are favorites in the race to make it to the round of 16 are discussed in this article.  

Group Stage Predictions for Champions League 2021-2022

The top two teams from each of the eight groups will advance to the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League 2021-2022 season. Let's see who are the favorites in each group to advance to the first knockout round.

Group A

Four teams including, the English Premier League champion Manchester City, Ligue 1 runner-up Paris Saint-Germain, Belgium's first division champion Club Brugge and Germany’s RB Leipzig are drafted in group A. As per squad depths, Man City and PSG are the two favorites to advance to the Round of 16 from this group. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are probably playing the best brand of football right now, while PSG boast a star-studded squad.  

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Group B

This is considered the group of death, with Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, and FC Porto all vying for a place in the top two. Liverpool and Atletico Madrid have better squads than the other two teams. As a result, they have a better shot to advance to the first knockout round.  

Group C

Four-time European champion Ajax, Sporting CP, Borussia Dortmund, and Turkish club Besiktas are competing in group C. Borussia Dortmund are the favorite to finish top in the points table. Sporting CP and Ajax will battle it out for the second place. 

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Group D

The most successful club in the history of the UEFA Champions League Real Madrid do not have the best squad for the 2021-2022 season. However, they have had a strong start of the season and will be a solid contender for their 14th championship triumph. Italian Serie A Champion Inter Milan should finish top two in this group given their current squad depth. While Sheriff Tiraspol and Shakhtar Donetsk will have to put in extraordinary efforts to finish in the top two.  

Group E

Bayern Munich are the obvious favorites in this group. Bayern's main rival in this group is FC Barcelona. Barcelona's recent performances have been below par, and they have a slim chance of finishing first in the point standings. Portuguese side Benfica have a chance to finish second and they can advance to the Round of 16 by tipping Barcelona. Dynamo Kiev is the other team in this group, and their main goal is to finish top three to qualify for the Europa League.

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Group F

Manchester United should progress to the next round from this group since they will be up against Atalanta, Villareal, and Young Boys, all of whom are comparatively weaker opponents. Italy’s Atalanta and the defending Europa League champions Villareal will compete for second place in this group.  

Group G

The top teams in this group are Ligue 1 winner Lille and Sevilla from Spain. They should proceed to the next round. Germany’s Wolfsburg might disrupt their progress and have the potential to finish in the top two of the standings. On the other hand, Red Bull Salzburg have a very slim chance of progressing to the Round of 16.

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Group H

The reigning Champions League winner Chelsea are once again the overwhelming favorites to retain the title. Thomas Tuchel’s team is a tough team to beat and they should easily move to the first knockout phase. The other strong team in this group is Juventus, who should finish in the top two in the points table. Zenit Saint Petersburg and Malmo FF will compete for a top-three finish in order to secure a place in the Europa League.   

Bottom Line

Despite the fact that big clubs have suffered due to the coronavirus epidemic, they will remain the favorites to proceed to the UEFA Champions League 2021-2022 season knockout phase. Apart from them, there will be high expectations from big spenders in the summer transfer window of 2021. Because rich clubs spent a considerable amount of money to acquire the best players in the world.

Sometimes, relatively weaker teams shock everyone by putting up a fantastic show and progressing to the knockout stage of the Champions League. As a result, several upsets may occur, causing one or two big teams to drop out from the group stage. However, it would be exciting for neutral supporters if something similar happened this season.  

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