Group G
Leicester City, FC Porto, Club Brugge, FC Copenhagen
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An interesting group and from Leicester City’s perspective it's perhaps one of the most attractive draws the Foxes could have hoped for.
On the face of it, it looks like Claudio Ranieri’s men and Porto will qualify from the group but as this is the competition which hosts the best clubs on the continent, absolutely nothing should be taken for granted - after all, this is arguably the tightest group on show. The reigning Premier League champions have not enjoyed the best start to their domestic campaign as the loss of Ngolo Kante in the summer has left a void which they have had difficulty filling. Nevertheless, they will be eager to make the most of their first foray into the elite stages and with players like Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy, Ahmed Musa and shot-stopper Kasper Schmeichel they will probably have enough to get through.
Having overcome AS Roma 4-2 on aggregate in the UCL qualifiers they won’t fear anybody to come. Boasting the likes of Iker Casillas, Yacine Brahimi Joao Carlos Teixeira and others, the club who finished third in the Primeira Liga last season have a wonderful blend of expertise and flair and as they have shown on a number of occasions in the past, they know how to put those traits to excellent effect.
Copenhagen and Brugge will not be there to make up the numbers but it looks like they will have to battle it out between them for a crack at who manages to qualify for the Europa League. Interestingly, the Belgian club were the first to score in the UCL after it was rebranded in the early 90s.
Prediction: Leicester and Porto to qualify.
Group H
Juventus, Sevilla, Olympique Lyonnais, Dynamo Zagreb
Italian champions Juventus might have lost a few key players including Paul Pogba and Alvaro Morata but they have bought well in Gonzalo Higuain, Dani Alves, and Miralem Pjanic - and they have also got their eye on a few others to bring on board before the transfer window shuts. With that in mind, they will once again be one of the favourites to go on and win the tournament outright and will expect to top this group with some time and room to spare.
Also Read: UCL 2016-17: Is this Juve’s best chance at winning the trophy?
With that in mind, it’s likely to be a three-way shootout between record-breaking Sevilla, Lyon, and Zagreb.
Sevilla will be well-placed to nab second spot, and they will be as eager as ever to do so because they won’t want to drop into the Europa League again. In many people’s eyes, Jorge Sampaoli’s charges are good enough to finally make a real mark on the grandest club stage of them all. They have brought in resurgent midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso to become a driving force, they’ve also bought Franco Vazquez, Joaquin Correa and have secured the services of the exciting Luciano Vietto on loan from Atletico Madrid, so they should have no problem scoring goals.
Lyon and Zagreb will certainly be out to make the most of their chances but the odds are certainly stacked against them as they have each lost some really good players over the last few months.
Prediction: Juve and Sevilla to qualify.
