Page 55 - Soccer360 - Issue 103

2023-24
KEY DATES
GROUP STAGE
Sept 19 - Dec 13
ROUND OF 16
DRAW
December 18
ROUND OF 16
Feb 13 - Mar 13
DRAW
March 15
QUARTER FINALS
April 9 - 17
SEMI FINALS
April 30 - May 8
FINALS
June 1, 2024
at Wembley Stadium, London
QUARTER FINALS
& SEMI FINALS
2023-24 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUPS
Group A
Bayern Munich (Germany) Manchester United (England) Copenhagen (Denmark) Galatasaray (Turkey)
Group B
Sevilla (Spain) Arsenal (England)
PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) Lens (France)
Group C
Napoli (Italy)
Real Madrid (Spain) Braga (Portugal) Union Berlin (Germany)
Group D
Benfica (Portugal) Inter Milan (Italy) Salzburg (Austria) Real Sociedad (Spain)
Group E
Feyenoord (Netherlands) Atlético Madrid (Spain) Lazio (Italy)
Celtic (Scotland)
Group F
Paris Saint-Germain (France) Borussia Dortmund (Germany) AC Milan (Italy) Newcastle (England)
Group G
Manchester City (England) RB Leipzig (Germany) Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) Young Boys (Switzerland)
Group H
Barcelona (Spain) Porto (Portugal) Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) Royal Antwerp (Belgium)
Barca’s bitter rivals from the Spanish capital. He looked like the best player on the pitch for most
of England’s World Cup games last winter and will now look to continue his footballing education after his years at Borussia Dortmund. Carlo Ancelotti has been playing him as far forward as possible in pre- season, at the front of a midfield diamond, and he could help Real fans quickly forget that they won’t be able to count on Karim Benzema to score some much-needed late goals this year.
It is customary at this point to talk about Paris Saint-Germain’s chances of finally winning the Champions League. But there seems to be a major overhaul of the playing staff - and the club - at
the moment. Kylian Mbappe has been involved in another long-running transfer saga, Neymar has left for the Saudi Pro League, and a host of other top players have been linked with moves away from the Parc des Princes. The fans have not been happy for a while and a younger, more Paris-themed, squad looks like being the way the club will go. Another Ligue 1 title shouldn’t be a problem for PSG, but the longed-for Champions League triumph may have
to wait.
As for the other Premier League clubs looking
to rival Manchester City in Europe, the squads of Manchester United, Newcastle United and Arsenal all still look a little lightweight to really challenge on this particular stage. Real Madrid and Bayern Munich look set to be the main alternatives to a repeat performance from City. But it really looks like Pep Guardiola’s side’s title to lose at this point.
Thomas Tuchel will now face the new campaign with Kane up front and Kim Min-Jae, newly acquired from Napoli, at the back.
SOCCER360 MAGAZINE 55
JUVE MISSING OUT
Dan Roberts explains why Italian giants and two-time European champions Juventus will not be playing in any of the European competitions this season.
For the first time in 12 years there will be
no Juventus involvement in any of the continental club competitions this season. The Old Lady has been a regular in the Champions League (and the European Cup before that) but will have to concentrate on purely domestic football during the 2023-24 campaign. But this is not because Juve failed to qualify last season, but because the club was found to have breached Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
Having finished fourth in Serie A in the previous two seasons. Maximiliano Allegri faced criticism going into the last campaign but was adamant that his side could compete. The fans will say that Juventus were cheated out of a chance of claiming another Scudetto - and it is true that the club faced obstacle after obstacle to win the league or qualify for Europe last season.
Juventus actually finished in seventh
and looked like heading for the Europa Conference League. But that was only because they had been deducted 10 points after a hearing looking into past transfer dealings. The original punishment had been 15 points. But now UEFA have banned the club from its competitions for a year because of the FFP violations and Juventus have stated that they won’t appeal the decision - even if they do not agree with the findings. Fiorentina have been awarded Juve’s place
in Europe and the Old Lady will need to put all its efforts into finishing in the top four
this term and claim the 2024-25 Champions League berth the fans believe is their right.
Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot (R) celebrates with Manuel Locatelli
after scoring the team’s third goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Udinese Calcio and Juventus FC
Bellingham adds another facet of creativity to the Real Madrid side