Wembley witnessed the last goal of the former European Cup in 1992. A few months after Ronald Koeman’s free-kick, of indelible memory for Barcelona, ??the most prestigious continental tournament at club level mutated into what we know today as the Champions League, a title that continues to raise passions like no other in the season that blows 30 candles. Its status remains unchanged despite the attempt to unseat it by the effervescent and megalomaniac project of the Super League, for the moment filed in a drawer due to lack of followers.
During all this time, the Champions League has experienced memorable moments, with spectacular and unimaginable finals, such as Manchester United’s impossible comeback against Bayern at the Camp Nou in 1999, with two goals in added time (2-1), or the miracle Istanbul in 2005, when Liverpool saved three goals against Milan in a second half to frame (3-3 with a red victory on penalties).
This course will return to the place of that last feat. After two cancellations due to the pandemic, the Atatürk Olympic Stadium will finally host the final again. It will be next June 10, 2023, although until this date is reached there is a long way to go. This year it will be even more so because the Qatar World Cup will paralyze club football between November and December, which will force the group stage calendar to be compressed. Instead of being played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays every two weeks, some days will be chained every seven days.
The Turkish capital today hosts the draw with 12 of the 13 champions present since the establishment of the new format – only Manchester United is missing. For the second year in a row, Barça will be part of the second pot and, as has been happening lately, they are not among the favorites to raise the coveted orejona. The potential of the current squad after this summer’s signings is unquestionable, but it’s a long way from being in the forward group made up of Real Madrid, Bayern, Manchester City, Liverpool or PSG. If anything, in cycling language, he is among the pursuers along with Chelsea, Milan or Juventus.
As always, the draw can bring a friendly group or the opposite. In the Blaugrana key, it changes a lot to fight for one of the two places in the group that give access to the round of 16 against PSG, Inter and Marseille to do it with fellow travelers such as Eintracht Frankfurt (champion of the last Europa League and executioner of Barça), Sporting de Trincão or Brujas de Ferran Jutglà. Undoubtedly the most morbid (and most painful) image would be to see Leo Messi at the Camp Nou with another shirt, something that could not happen last year because Barça and PSG were in the same hype.
Regarding the rest of the Spanish teams, Madrid is the only one that is part of the first pot. The current champion will try to avoid Liverpool, Chelsea and Juve in the second pot, since they cannot face the Blaugrana nor Atlético nor Sevilla.
This special edition will not feature Russian clubs, suspended due to the war in Ukraine. Shakhtar Donetsk, leader of the Ukrainian league at the time of the invasion, will be there. The Donbas club will play its home games at the field of Legia Warsaw (Poland). The group stage starts on September 6/7 and ends on November 1/2.
Real Madrid
Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany)
Manchester City (Inglaterra)
AC Milan (Italia)
Bayern Munich (Germany)
Oporto (Portugal)
PSG (France)
Ajax (Netherlands)
Liverpool (Inglaterra)
Chelsea (England)
FC Barcelona
Juventus (Italy)
Atletico Madrid
Sevilla
RB Leipzig (Alemania)
Tottenham (England)
Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Salzburg (Austria)
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ucrania)
Inter Milan (Italy)
Naples (Italy)
Sporting (Portugal)
Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
Benfica (Portugal)
Olympique de Marseille (France)
Bruges (Belgium)
Celtic (Scotland)
Victoria Plzen (Czech Republic)
Maccabi Haifa (Israel)
Rangers FC (Esc)
Dinamo Zagreb (Cro)
Copenhague (Din)
