2 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPECIAL TdTuesday, September18, 2018 racingpost.com CHAMIONS LEAGUE MARKLANGDON’S VERDICT SECIAL Tipping & expert opinion Verdict...........................2-3 Didi Hamann .................. 4 Premier powerhouses KevinPullein ................ 13 Spreadwise.................... 13 Topscorer ................16-17 Oddsmakers.................. 28 SteveMcManaman ...... 32 canconquer Europe Team-by-team guide GroupA........................... 6 GroupB........................... 8 ManCityand Liverpool should fear nobody on thecontinent GroupC....................10-11 GroupD......................... 12 HE CHAMPIOS that attackisclearly thefirst Salah’s earlysubstitution in Threats areeverywherein to stamptheir authority on the GroupE......................... 18 LEAGUE hasbecome form of defence. Therewerean thefinal defeat to Real Madrid theChampions League and the Champions League, while GroupF.......................... 20 thepinnacle of averageofmorethan three wasatelling blowand yet obvious place to startisLaLiga, coachErnesto alverde needs GroupG......................... 21 T footballing goals per game in lastseason’s Liverpool were stillwell in the seeing as Spain have provided to work out Philippe Coutinho’s excellence and the Champions League in atotal of game until Loris Karius made thelastfivewinnersand two bestposition. GroupH......................... 22 1-1 edition looksthe 1. twohorrendous errors,while runners-up in that period. Will he playwide or is he perfectopportunity forthe Liverpool scored 1 of those, theother goal wasaonce-in-a- Real Madrid have collected Iniesta’s midfield replacement Today’sgames Premier League to become top excluding qualifiers, morethan lifetime effort from Gareth four of those titles, all withthe Thereare pros and cons to each Odds &form............26-27 dogs once more. anyother side, as they reached Bale. aid of Cristiano Ronaldo, whose but thereare also doubts over English teams have struggled Matchpreviews............ 29 thefinal in thrilling Liverpool were notfar away sale to Juventus leavesa alverde’s ability as Barca losta to make an impact in recent circumstances and Klopp’s from asixthEuropean Cup and seismic hole in their attackfor -1 first-leg lead to Roma last Inter vTottenham ..30-31 seasons –Chelsea’s surprise outfit have thepotential to go withAlisson signed as a newboss Julen Lopetegui to season amid achaotic night LiverpoolvPSG............ 31 success in 1 is their only one better despiteatough draw significant upgrade between fill. whereGerardPique wasseen triumph in thepastten years– alongside ParisSt-Germain and thesticks it could come 1 Therehas hardlybeena questioning their tactics. Editor MatthewIreland but their financial powerwill apoli. months later in Madrid. tsunami of changeatthe Slow-starting Atletico, who Production team Phil Agius, tell eventuallyand Manchester Their strengths remain the irgil van Dijk has improved Bernabeu despitethe will hostthe final, maybeof Alex Hilton, DanWilliams,James City and Liverpool look ideally same withadevastatingfront their defence immeasurably departures of Ronaldo and boss moreinterest. Milton, HenryHardwicke placed to lead thecharge. threeofRobertoFirmino, Sadio since signing in Januaryand inedine idane, but asummer Stats ChrisMann, Glenn Jeffreys, Therewas atimewhen the Mane and Mohamed Salah, Fabinho, abig-moneyarrival without aGalactico arrival to TOIE Dave Clark GRIEMA has Pictures &graphics Liam Hill, Premier League representatives although cruciallythe Reds from Monaco, is seen as a replace Ronaldo has leftReal Stefan Searle,JoelVaughan resembled loadsamoney have gone biginmaking shrewdtactical influence who vulnerable. Theyhavealso had remained loyal characters, barging intoan investments to improve their maybeofmorebenefit in the plenty of good fortune in their A amid interestfrom exclusiveclub shouting their weaknesses, mostnotablyin Champions League than the hat-trickoftriumphs. Barca and Diego mouths offabout having the goal. Premier League. Madrid’s arch-rivals Simeone can still call upon the bestleague in theworld Barcelona will alwayshave services of DiegoGodin and Web racingpost.com/sport Jan Oblak as well as araftof soccerbase.com without theability or grace to their backers withLionel Messi Twitter @racingpostsport match their lofty claims. in their ranksbut onlyoncein newsignings including Thomas @soccerbase All thegear but no idea if you thelastfour years–when they Lemar and Rodri, who is seen like. owthereisaplan. were champions in 1 –have by manyinSpain as thenew High-class managerssuchas theCatalans gone beyond the Sergio Busquets. DRA PepGuardiola and Jurgen quarter-finals. The Europa League winners, Group A Klopp have been lured to That waswiththe dream however, will struggle to keep up withteams who arepushing Atletico Madrid BDortmund England and withmanyof team of Messi, eymar and a Monaco Club Brugge Europe’s eliteclubs in flux the peak Luis Suarez up front and theattacking boundaries. Group B superior stable environments in Andres Iniesta pullingthe Juventus, forsolong strings in midfield. eymar and Europe’s defensivebenchmark, BarcelonaTottenham Manchesterand Merseyside PSVEindhoven Inter could be key. Iniesta have gone and Suarez, have blownafortune on Group C City’s twoChampions League in January, has scored a becoming amoreoffensive attemptsunder Guardiola have total of four goals in thelast powerwiththe arrival of ParisSt-GermainNapoli twoChampions League -year-old Ronaldo Liverpool RedStarBelgrade ended in frustration as they lost campaigns. This maybea representing afascinating Group D gung-ho battles withMonaco and Liverpool at thelast-16 and season tooearly forOusmane gamble in abid to land their Lokomotiv Moscow Porto Dembele, Malcom and Arthur firstEuropean Cup since 16. SchalkeGalatasaray quarter-final stages Group E respectively. Butthisseason’s group drawwithHoffenheim, BayernMunich Benfica Ajax AEKAthens Shakhtar Donetsk and Lyon TO AYROMRO Group F gives thePremier League Group A champions an ideal platformto Manchester City Shakhtar bet35 Betfair BetfredBetwayBoyles Coral HillsLadbrokes PPowerSky Bet1Bet Lyon Hoffenheim reachthe knockouts again. Records galorewerebroken Atletico Madrid 1-8 1-20 1-9 1-8 1-10 1-10 1-10 1-10 1-20 1-10 1-10 Group G by Guardiola lastseason as City Dortmund 8-15 1-4 2-5 1-2 4-9 1-3 1-2 1-3 1-4 4-9 7-15 Real Madrid Roma romped to Premier League Monaco 13-10 7-4 6-4 7-5 6-4 7-4 11-8 7-4 7-4 11-8 6-5 CSKA Moscow Viktoria Plzen glory, hitting1 points and Group H Club Brugge 7 13 88887813 86 reaching aconsistentlevel of Group B Juventus Manchester Utd brilliance whichmakes them Valencia YoungBoys worthyChampions League bet35 Betfair BetfredBetwayBoyles Coral HillsLadbrokes PPowerSky Bet1Bet favourites. Barcelona 1-8 1-18 1-9 1-9 1-10 1-10 1-10 1-10 1-18 1-8 1-16 RECENT NAS Kevin De Bruyne’s summer Tottenham 1-2 4-6 1-2 4-7 8-15 1-2 4-9 1-2 4-6 1-2 3-7 injurymay be of long-term 2017-18 Real Madrid 3Liverpool1 Inter 13-10 11-10 5-4 11-8 5-4 11-8 11-8 11-8 11-10 5-4 23-17 benefit if they gethim back 2016-17 Real Madrid 4Juventus 1 fresh forthe keystagesofthe PSV 8 17-2 87888817-2 13-2 13-2 2015-16 Real Madrid 1Atl Madrid 1 competition and they often Group C Real won5-3 on penalties Liverpool colossus irgil vaniand eorginio inaldum dominatemidfield battles 2014-15 Barcelona3Juventus 1 bet35 Betfair BetfredBetwayBoyles Coral HillsLadbrokes PPowerSky Bet1Bet through theSilvas, David and PSG 1-6 1-5 1-5 1-5 1-5 1-6 1-5 1-6 1-5 2-9 2-13 2013-14 Real Madrid 1Atl Madrid 1 Bernardo. The blistering pace Real won4-1 afterextra-time of Leroy Sane and Raheem Spurskicking offnew era Liverpool 1-4 3-10 1-4 1-4 2-7 1-4 1-4 1-4 3-10 1-4 1-5 2012-13 BMunich 2BDortmund1 Sterling should offerthe kind of Napoli 13-10 5-6 5-4 5-4 5-4 11-8 5-4 11-8 5-6 11-10 6-5 2011-12 Bayern 1Chelsea 1 counter-attacking threat which LL ans ill e ale to arcelona todaill e Red Star Belgrade 25 17 25 20 20 33 20 33 17 22 20 Chelsea wononpenalties is crucial in two-legged ties atchevenmore o this roadcast at pm time season’sChampions League throughout thegroup stage Group D 2010-11 Barcelona3Man Utd1 settled by theaway-goals rule. 2009-10 Inter2Bayern0 due to staggered ico and theremaining six ixtures bet35 Betfair BetfredBetwayBoyles Coral HillsLadbrokes PPowerSky Bet1Bet Their often-criticised times ill egin at pm 2008-09 Barcelona2Man Utd0 Porto 4-9 4-11 1-2 1-2 4-9 4-9 1-2 4-9 4-11 1-2 2-5 rearguardisnoworse than the omatches per night o remier League outit Schalke 8-13 4-7 4-7 4-7 4-7 4-7 8-15 4-7 4-9 4-7 8-15 2007-08 ManUtd 1Chelsea 1 defences of themajority of starting ithnter versus ill host amatchinthe earlier ManUtd wononpenalties their market rivals as thegame ottenham and ’stripto time slot Lokomotiv 13-8 5-4 11-8 11-8 11-8 6-5 5-4 6-5 Evs 5-4 23-17 2006-07 Milan2Liverpool1 has evolvedtosuchanextent Galatasaray 11-8 13-8 6-4 6-4 7-4 13-8 13-8 13-8 5-2 3-2 23-17 Racing Post Tuesday, September 18, 2018 3 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Last six seasons bet365 BetBright Betfair Betfred Betway Boyles Coral Hills Ladbrokes P Power Sky Bet 188Bet r1616SF16F Man City 9-2 9-2 9-2 9-2 9-2 9-2 9-2 9-2 9-2 9-2 6 9-2 SFFWFFF Barcelona 6 6 6 6 11-2 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Fr+SFF16FF Juventus 13-2 13-2 13-2 13-2 13-2 13-2 13-2 6 13-2 FFFF1616 Paris St-Germain 15-2 7 7 8 15-2 7 7 15-2 7 7 7 7 SFWSFWWW Real Madrid 8 8 1-2 7 8 7 8 8 8 1-2 7 1-2 WSFSFSFFSF Bayern Munich 10 88788988879 32FFFSFr+ Atletico Madrid 12 12 12 12 12 12 10 12 11 12 11 12 32-r+32F-F Liverpool 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 12 11 12 14 12 F163216r+3216