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#3 AC Milan
The Italian giants have endured a seven-year absence from the Champions League. But the Rossoneri ended their wait after finishing second in Serie A last season, ensuring qualification to the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2013-14.
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AC Milan have been pitted in a really difficult group alongside Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and Porto. However, the Italian giants will not be afraid to take on the odds.
Milan have started the new season in fine fashion, winning their opening three games and have conceded just one goal so far, possessing the best defense in Serie A.
Fikayo Tomori and Simon Kjaer have formed a solid partnership at the back while veterans Olivier Giroud and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are more than capable of leading the line. They however did lose two of their key players in the form of Gianluigi Donnarumma and Hakan Calhanoglu this summer.
Nevertheless, Milan have a good mix of youthfulness and experience in the squad. They will definitely fancy their chances of upsetting the likes of Liverpool and Atletico Madrid in the Champions League this season.
#2 Sevilla
Sevilla have been completely transformed since the arrival of manager Julen Lopetegui. The Spaniard managed to win the Europa League in his debut season at the club while also helping them achieve back-to-back fourth-placed finishes in La Liga.
Sevilla have started the campaign in brilliant fashion this season, quickly posting six points on the board from their first two matches in La Liga. But they were held to a somewhat disappointing draw against Elche in game week three.
The club managed to progress to the last-16 of the Champions League last year before being sent packing by Borussia Dortmund. However, they have been handed a favorable draw in the Champions League this season, facing the likes of Lille, Salzburg and Wolfsburg in Group G.
Los Nervionenses have never been beyond the quarter-finals of the Champions League in its current format. But they could prove obdurate opponents should they progress from an easy group.
Some smart recruitment has provided them with a functional rather than flashy squad that possesses enough final-third ingenuity and defensive grit. It could prove to be a rough ride for any visitor to the raucous Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.
#1 Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund failed to provide stiff competition to eventual Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich last season. But they did enough to earn a third-place finish and a place in this season's Champions League.
Last season, Dortmund had a good Champions League campaign, reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament before succumbing to a defeat against Manchester City. Their talisman Erling Haaland was the top scorer of the tournament with 10 goals.
Now under new manager Marco Rose, Dortmund will be looking to build on their previous campaign. They have been drawn in a favorable group against Ajax, Sporting CP and Besiktas. But their inconsistency and leaky defense is what's holding them back.
Dortmund started the new Bundesliga season in brilliant fashion by annhilating Eintrach Frankfurt 5-2 at Signal Iduna Park. But then, just like the highly inconsistent Dortmund side of the past, they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat against Freiburg. They followed it up by winning 3-2 and 4-3 in thrilling encounters against Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.
Rose has tried a couple of different formations in his first few games at the club. If he can find some consistency with Dortmund and fix their leaky defense, then there's no limit to how far Haaland and Co. can go in the Champions League this season.
