UEFA Champions League 2017/18: Five possible shocks from the group stages

Upsets and shocks are always around the corner in the UEFA Champions League. When the eight groups for the new season were drawn on Thursday evening, football fans were forced into leaping into happiness. Not just because the greatest competition in continental football was back, but because of the arrangement of the teams in there.

The duo of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain were pitted in the same group, much like Barcelona and Juventus. And despite the presence of two top teams in two different groups, one can’t really dub either one of them to be a ‘Group of Death’.

Group G consists of sides like RB Leipzig, Monaco, Besiktas and Porto in what promises to be a rather intriguing group. But what comes closest to being called the ‘Group of Death’ is Group H, which sees Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur come together in the same group with minnows APOEL.

And since football is not played on paper, it’s time we look at possible shocks from the group stages of the competition.

#5 Chelsea to drop out?

The group that Antonio Conte’s men have been handed looks stiffer than either of Manchester United's or Liverpool's. And if they don’t play at their best, they can well fall out of the top two.

Atletico Madrid and Roma are in Chelsea’s group along with Qarabag. Atleti’s performances in the Champions League have been so consistent over the past two seasons that they can well be deemed to be the most consistent side of late.

Los Rojiblancos reached the semi-finals of the competition last season and will look to replicate the feat again. Roma though, were one of Serie A’s highest scoring sides last season and outscored eventual Scudetto champions Juventus. Unlike AC Milan, the exceptional bit of business that they have done hasn’t been showered with spotlight, but deserves recognition.

And Chelsea will have to be at their toes to go through, especially with their team-depth low.

#4 More problems for Barcelona?

Juventus hardly broke sweat against Barca last season and the absence of Neymar will make it harder

Be it the recent hackings of their social media accounts or the failure to replace Neymar and his sale, things aren’t really going right for Barcelona. And they can play a part in ruining their Champions League hopes.

Juventus, who knocked out the Catalans in the quarter-finals of the competition last season, will give them a tough time throughout the group stages. Olympiacos have, over the years, earned a knack for troubling the big sides, especially at their Karaiskakis Stadium at Piraeus. They have beaten the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid and Barcelona will be in for a tough time. And one never really takes Sporting Lisbon for granted too.

Ernesto Valverde’s men will have to sort out their problems as quickly as possible, before they translate into a full blown disaster.

#3 Manchester United to fall prey to familiar sides?

United cannot rest on their laurels

It would be fair to say that Manchester United and Liverpool have been handed easy tasks, when compared to Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham. But as previously mentioned, football is never played on paper.

Basel and Benfica were responsible for knocking United out of the competition in 2011 and CSKA Moscow had played a part in doing the same in 2015 when Louis van Gaal was in charge. While the Basel and Benfica aren't as good as they were during those times, they are always capable of pulling off upsets. And CSKA are always a tough place to go, no matter which team you are. Manchester United failed to beat them the last time they went there.

It's certainly a relatively easy group for Jose Mourinho's men, but they'd have to be vary of their tricky opponents.

#2 Trips to Ukraine and Netherlands can dent City

City's group seems easy, but with Pep's side, you never know

While Pep Guardiola’s men have been handed a tricky assignment, the sides in their group cannot be taken for granted.

Reigning Dutch champions Feyenoord handed Manchester United a 1-0 defeat last season in the Europa League, while Shakhtar Donetsk play their home games in Kharkiv, making it a stiff trip every time a side visits them. Napoli are obvious contenders to finish inside the top two and will look to challenge for the top spot.

It does seem likely that Napoli and Manchester City will finish outside the top two, but it can be very different from what we think.

#1 Spurs to trump Dortmund?

Dele Alli's absence will be a factor though

Tottenham Hotspur are one of those sides who have had prior experience of playing in the Europa League, much like Borussia Dortmund. The two sides will fight it out for the second spot, with BVB deemed to be the early favourites.

But Spurs know how to thrive under the underdogs tag and if they do play at their best, it will be tough to stop them. They certainly do need to get rid of their Wembley woes and the Premier League will allow them the opportunity to do just that. On the other hand, Dortmund aren't as good as they were two or three seasons ago and there is less assurity of them progressing, as compared to the times gone by.

A ball hadn't even been kicked and it's time we stop putting Spurs down in the race for qualification.