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It`s time for Group E and Group F in our Champions League group stage preview. When you`re finished reading you can also take a look at our previews for the other groups:
GROUP E: Chelsea, Schalke 04, FC Basel, Steaua Bucharest
One of the weaker groups in this UCL season sees Chelsea as the big favorite to go through, and The Blues should have little problem advancing to the last 16, also finishing 1st in the standings in the process. With Mourinho at the helm and some excellent young offensive players signed in the off season break, the english are one of the favorites to go all the way this year. Schalke 04 seems to be the biggest threat to Chelsea, but despite signing Boateng from Milan, they are not yet in the same league as The Blues. Besides this, their form in the start of the season has been shaky, and they could have problems qualifying if they don’t improve fast.
FC Basel has every reason to be hopeful regarding qualification to the last 16. The swiss side has tons of experience in UCL, even advancing past the group stage once. Basel was knocked out by Chelsea last year in the Europa League semifinals after defeating Tottenham in the quarters. Murat Yakin appears to be a very promising coach, and Basel has a good team this year. Despite these, they are still far away from Schalke in terms of quality and they would need a very bad campaign by the germans in order to advance. Steaua Bucharest is the weakest team in the group by a sensible margin, but the Romanians had a great season last year, even reaching the Europa League R16, being eliminated by Chelsea after knocking out Ajax at penalties. They don’t have the quality of the other teams in this group, but they will not be an easy opponent and will gain some points here, being capable of some surprising results along the way – especially at home. But they could also lose big in 1-2 games.
There should be little surprises in this group: Chelsea should cruise, Schalke should fend off Basel`s challenge and finish second. Steaua is the cinderella here, they may pose some problems to Schalke and Basel but they are set to finish last. Nevertheless, the romanians have the required strength to take advantage and finish 3rd if Basel has a poor campaign.
Prediction: 1. Chelsea 2. Schalke 3. FC Basel 4. Steaua Bucharest
Best bets:
- Schalke to qualify @ 1.62 at Bwin
- Bet on Chelsea to win and / or cover the spread in the first 3-4 games
GROUP F: Arsenal, Olympique Marseille, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli
Group F is without a doubt the strongest of them all – there will be some fantastic matches.
Arsenal looks an improved team in the start of the season, and the signing of Mesut Ozil has boosted their ambitions. If the gunners keep up the same level of play, they may well make some noise in the Champions League this season. While qualification seems a lock, the first place can be tricky to get to say the least. Borussia Dortmund are the current Champions League runners up and they are pumping on all cylinders at the moment. On paper Arsenal has a more valuable squad, but Dortmund has the european results to show for last year. They have at least a 50% chance to win this group, with the gunners having to compete in the tough Premier League every weekend.
Marseille looks to be the weakest team in the group despite being drawn as the 2nd seed. The french could well end up outside of top 3 in France this year and they are far from having the required quality to compete against the likes of Arsenal and Dortmund. The third place looks to be a doable feat, but it won`t be easy. Napoli made some big investments after losing Cavani and they have a better squad than Marseille without a doubt. The italians should be able to finish ahead of Marseille, also challenging Arsenal and Dortmund at home in the process.
Despite the group being so strong, when you put your brain to work you realize that it is rather predictable. Arsenal and Dortmund are clearly stronger than the other two teams and it would be illogical if they did not qualify together, while Napoli should have an edge over Marseille. When you look at the kind of odds Arsenal has to win the group, you have to consider taking them to finish first, as it is pure value.
Prediction: 1. Borussia Dortmund 2. Arsenal 3. Napoli 4. Marseille
Best bets:
- Dortmund and Arsenal to qalify @ 2.40 at Ladbrokes
- Arsenal to win the group @ 3.40 at Ladbrokes
