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Issue 03

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SPORTS & WELLNESS 29<br />

UEFA Champions League<br />

2016/2017 Preview:<br />

Who Will be Crowned Champions?<br />

RACHEL CHIN / THE UNDERGROUND<br />

Temi Dada,<br />

Sports & Wellness Editor<br />

FC Bayern Munich (Germany)<br />

Manager: Carlo Ancelotti<br />

Games Played: 3, Won: 2, Drawn: 0, Lost: 1<br />

For most of last season, the reigning<br />

Bundesliga champions were considered the<br />

best team in the Europe, which is codeword for<br />

best team in the world. The champs was cruising<br />

past other teams with ease both in the domestic<br />

league and in Europe.<br />

Robert Lewandowski (last season’s<br />

golden boot winner with 30 league goals)<br />

scored almost every game, then-new signee<br />

Douglas Costa and French youngster Kingsley<br />

Koman quickly became revelations and thenmanager<br />

Pep Guardiola seemed to casually<br />

experiment every attacking formation known to<br />

man with different players while getting away<br />

with.<br />

Injuries to star wingers Frank Ribery<br />

and Arjen Robben did not stop them from annihilating<br />

teams. They were on-course to win their<br />

fourth consecutive Bundesliga title and looked<br />

like they were going to add a sixth Champions<br />

League title, until they got knocked out semi-finals<br />

last season by Atletico Madrid by the away<br />

goal rule. This season they still look as formidable<br />

as ever, with some changes. Serial winner,<br />

Carlo Ancelotti was hired earlier this year<br />

after the departure of Guardiola to Manchester<br />

City, they also bolstered their midfield with this<br />

year’s Golden Boy Winner, Renato Sanches.<br />

For a team that already boasts six<br />

World Cup winners in their starting 11 with<br />

world class players like Lewandoski, Costa<br />

and Ribery, it is safe to say that they have the<br />

deepest squad in the competition this season.<br />

As fate would have it, Atletico happen to be in<br />

the same group as Bayern in the group stages<br />

(Group D) alongside FC Rostov and PSV.<br />

Besides Atletico—the only team to beat Bay-<br />

ern this season—the group seems as an easy<br />

kill for the Bavarians. The German champions<br />

look as dominant as ever, especially in their 4-1<br />

thrashing of PSV on Matchweek 3 and they<br />

have the quality to go all the way in the tournament.<br />

FC Barcelona (Spain)<br />

Manager: Luis Enrique<br />

Games Played: 3, Won: 3, Drawn: 0, Lost: 0<br />

This is the only team thought to be<br />

on par with Bayern or some might have argued<br />

to be better than the Bavarian outfit last season.<br />

The dreaded South American trio of reigning<br />

Ballon d’or winner Lionel Messi, superstar<br />

Neymar da Silva Jnr.who led the Brazilian team<br />

to its first ever Olympic gold medal and this<br />

season’s European golden shoe holder Luis<br />

Suarez were scoring goals for fun last season,<br />

scoring a combined 130 goals and breaking<br />

their own record of 120 which they set during<br />

the previous season.<br />

The Blaugrana played brilliant football<br />

last season and through the group stages.<br />

During the first knockout games, it looked like<br />

they could be the first team to successfully defend<br />

a Champions League title in the history<br />

of the competition. Unfortunately, they were<br />

handed a premature exit in the quarter-finals,<br />

courtesy of Atletico, once again spoiling the<br />

party. This season though, the team still looks<br />

stronger after a successful summer transfer<br />

window, with the likes of Lucas Digne, Samuel<br />

Umtiti and Paco Alcacer joining the fold. With<br />

three straight wins in Group C, including the<br />

resounding 4-0 win over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester<br />

City on Matchweek 3, the reigning La<br />

Liga champions looks like a formidable force<br />

and are one of the favorites to win the title.<br />

Real Madrid C.F. (Spain)<br />

Manager: Zenedine Zidane<br />

Games Played: 3, Won: 2, Drawn: 1, Lost: 0<br />

Nobody could have written a better<br />

story for the Los Blancos last season, they<br />

won their eleventh Champions League trophy,<br />

the most in history, at the cost of bitter rivals<br />

and famed giant killers who seemed to run out<br />

of luck, Atletico Madrid, for the second time in<br />

three years in club’s history, had the legend<br />

Zenedine Zidane have his first year as a first<br />

team coach. Many might question their journey<br />

to the finals because they got more favorable<br />

draws than other rivals but nevertheless, they<br />

are this season’s defending champions.<br />

The team endured a quiet summer<br />

as bringing Alvaro Morata back from Juventus<br />

and selling Jese Rodriguez was their only<br />

involvement in the transfer window, but their<br />

returning stars are rejuvenated, especially star<br />

player Cristiano Ronaldo who won the Euros<br />

with his country Portugal. After an initial shaky<br />

start, Madrid seems to be getting into their<br />

rhythm with two wins and a draw, sitting second<br />

and level on points with group leaders, Borussia<br />

Dortmund in Group F.<br />

Juventus F.C. (Italy)<br />

Manager: Massimiliano Allegri<br />

Games Played: 3, Won: 2, Drawn: 1, Lost: 0<br />

Juventus gained a lot of attention<br />

over the summer when they sold French star<br />

Paul Pogba for World record fee of £89.3<br />

million to Manchester United and then purchased<br />

Serie A top scorer Gonzalo Higuain<br />

for £70 million. It was a busy summer for The<br />

Old Lady, they still acquired Dani Alves from<br />

Barcelona, Miralem Pnajic from AS Roma<br />

and Mehdi Benatia from Bayern Munich. The<br />

2015 Champion League finalists are looking<br />

to win their sixth straight Serie A (domestic<br />

league) title and their third Champions<br />

League title and with what looks like their<br />

best squad in years, this might be their best<br />

chance.<br />

www. the-underground.ca NOVEMBER 3 - NOVEMBER 30, 2016<br />

VOLUME 36, ISSUE <strong>03</strong>

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