The 24th edition of UEFA Champions League brings along with it the usual excitement and anticipation – 32 of the biggest teams from across Europe competing to claim club football’s most coveted prize. No surprise there.
But the 2016-17 version features a debutant who have piqued public curiosity, instilled a definite sense of the neutral in the most die-hard of ultras, and have re-kindled an aesthetic love of football that a club’s riches might tend to choke at times.
Quite simply, last season's EPL champions Leicester City have blown a lot of minds and shaken the foundations of the philosophy that believes in pumping in the greens (think the two Manchester teams, Chelsea, even Arsenal and Liverpool) as opposed to the methodical construction of a winning team that the Foxes have demonstrated. And that is why you should watch Leicester’s Champions League debut.
Club Brugge vs Leicester City, Group G: 12.15 am IST, September 15
What we'll see in this Group G match is the answer to a crucial question: was Leicester's EPL performance an outlier, or can the club emulate the highs of last season? Their performance in the first four EPL games – loss, draw, win, loss – which have them languishing in 16th place, suggests this season won't be a repeat.
Fortunately for the English champions, though, their first Champions League opponent should not present a formidable test. Club Brugge might have won their 14th Belgian top flight title, but they crashed out at the play-off stage in last season’s competition, losing to a Louis Van Gaal-led Manchester United by an aggregate score of 7-1.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Arsenal, Group A: 12.15 am IST, September 14
The Laurent Blanc era has come to an end for PSG at the Parc des Princes, and there’s a new sheriff in town. Let’s face it – Unai Emery wasn’t brought in for his management skills in the French League. In fact, the French champions have drawn one and lost another from their first four league fixtures.
Emery is the man that Qatar Sports Investments and Parisians believe will finally bring home club football’s biggest prize. His excellent European pedigree is only enhanced by three successive Europa League triumphs with Sevilla.
Arsenal enter in the same position as always – a potential blockbuster waiting to happen which may turn into a damp fizz by the end of their participation in this season’s Champions League. The Gunners will have to hit the ground running or risk playing catch-up to the mighty French club as they try to avoid second place in the group.
Arsenal of all clubs should know the pains of qualifying second in a Champions League group stage. Of the six consecutive times they have failed to get beyond the Round of 16, they finished second in their group five times.
Juventus vs Sevilla, Group H: 12.15 am IST, September 15
Juventus might have pulled off the financial deal of the decade for itself by selling Paul Pogba to Manchester United for a world-record £89 million, but they've been smart enough to have weakened their closest rivals in their league, Roma and Napoli by buying their best players, Miralem Pjanic and Gonzalo Higuain, respectively, to cap off an excellent summer’s business.
This has almost reduced the Serie A to a formal procession for the Turin club, who can now devote their best resources to the pursuit of the Champions League, two seasons after finishing runners-up in 2014.
Sevilla, who have lost coach Emery in the summer, have started strongly under Jorge Sampaoli with two wins and one draw in their first three La Liga fixtures. The defending Europa League champions will hope to prove their mettle in Europa’s big brother competition this time around.
Real Madrid vs Sporting Lisbon, Group F: 12.15 am IST, September 15
Enter the kings, Real Madrid, who waited 12 years to win La Decima – their tenth European Cup/Champions League. They took only two more years to win La Undecima – their eleventh. No other team has more than seven.
The defending champions and their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo will start their campaign against Sporting Lisbon, the club that sold Ronaldo when he was still an awkward teenager. This could be an emotional clash for the Portuguese captain.
But that apart, Lisbon possess two very bright talents who won the summer’s European Championships with Portugal – midfielder William Carvalho and club captain Adrien Silva. Joining them in what is a very interesting team are journeymen highly regarded at some point in their careers: Lazar Markovic, Joel Campbell, Sebastian Coates, Luc Castaignos and Bas Dost. So, the match-up against Real Madrid will be intriguing for more reasons than just CR7.
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