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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>