Another difficult group packed with quality. 12x Champions League winners and also last seasons La Liga winners La Liga Real Madrid top the list in Group H. Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur are joined by Cypriot First Division champions APOEL FC.
Real Madrid C.F (Spain)
Real Madrid continue to dominate the Champions League fighting of all competition. They have also managed to take charge of La Liga too after recent title victories for fierce rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. It’s hard to see Los Blancos not gaining their 13th European crown come May time.
Manager: Zinedine Zidane
Group H Prediction: 1st
Previous best performance in Champions League: Winners x12 (1955-56, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1965-66, 1997-98, 1999-20, 2001-02, 2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17)
Latest performance in Champions League: Winners (2016-17)
Key Player: Isco
Probably the most in form and talked about player across Europe. A few seasons Isco, after Real signed Colombian international James Rodriguez, Isco’s time at the club looked all but over, now he’s their star player. With Cristiano Ronaldo suspended for the first few games of the season and benched for the UEFA Super Cup, Isco’s performances have been widely admired and utterly world class. Now also the key man for the Spain national side, Isco’s reputation continues to rise game by game and the sky really is the limit. A Ballon D’Or in the next few years certainly isn’t out of the question.
Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
After finishing behind RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and losing star man Ousmane Dembélé to Barcelona, it hasn’t been an ideal few months for BVB. However impressive signings such as Ömer Toprak, Maximilian Philipp, Andriy Yarmolenko and Mahmoud Dahoud, their squad looks stronger than it ever has before.
Manager: Peter Bosz
Group H Prediction: 2nd
Previous best performance in Champions League: Winners (1996-97)
Latest performance in Champions League: Quarter-Final (2016-17)
Key Player: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
After a summer filled with rumours linking Aubameyang with a move to Real Madrid, Chelsea and AC Milan, remarkably he remains a BVB player. A huge total of 85 Bundesliga goals in his 4 full seasons at the club, it’s no fluke that Europe’s top clubs are circling around the Gabonese international. Known for his explosive pace, 7 goals in his last Champions League campaign, he will be eager to better that total and take Dortmund to potential European glory.
Tottenham Hotspur (England)
After pushing Chelsea in the Premier League title race last season, Tottenham are ready to try and push for better success in Europe this season. Their campaign in Europe last year was a disappointment after finishing behind AS Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen in their group before being knocked out of the Europa League by Belgian side K.A.A. Gent. Better is needed from this extremely talented young squad.
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino
Group H Prediction: 3rd
Previous best performance in Champions League: Semi-Final (1961-62)
Latest performance in Champions League: Group Stage (2016-17)
Key Player: Dele Alli
Since his move from MK Dons for just £5 million, Alli’s rise to glory has been nothing short of remarkable. 28 league goals in his first two full seasons in the Premier League, many of assists and a deadly attacking partnership with fellow England international Harry Kane, Alli just continues to grow and get better. A less than inspiring set of performances in Europe so far, he has to make this campaign count if he is to certify his reputation of one of Europe’s finest youngsters.
APOEL FC (Cyprus)
After winning their 5th consecutive Cypriot First Division title, APOEL are a team used to winning most games they play, however this group draw probably couldn’t of gone any worse for the Cypriots. Their shock run to the quarter-finals 6 seasons ago is the ideal inspiration to look to if they are to avoid embarrassment in Group H.
Manager: Giorgos Donis
Group H Prediction: 4th
Previous best performance in Champions League: Quarter-Final (2011-12)
Latest performance in Champions League: Group Stage (2014-15)
Key Player: Igor de Camargo
The former Borussia Mönchengladbach and Standard Liège striker joined APOEL last summer and scored 10 goals in their title winning campaign. A player with Champions League experience is the sort of striker APOEL need if they are to cause any upsets in Group H. A goal scorer in most teams he’s joined, any goal he can add to his catalog this European campaign will be more than welcomed, de Camargo will need to be at his finishing best and nothing less.
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