Bayern Munich are the kings of Group F. There’s really not a whole lot else going on here.
UEFA Champions League Draw: Group F Analysis
Favorites: Bayern Munich
Last year’s runners up have got even better, with Mario Mandzukic and Athletic Bilbao’s Javi Martinez coming into the side. There’s absolutely no way that this team isn’t favourites to go through -- they might be the bet side in Europe outside of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Going Through: Valencia
Easy winners of the special La Liga table that doesn’t feature the best teams in the world. Don’t expect them to end up in third place again. They’re not good enough to play against Bayern, but the rest of the group should be easy enough.
Europa League Bound: BATE Borisov
The Belarusians are probably going to be underrated because of where they’re from, but there are plenty of good prospects playing for BATE Borisov. If you followed Belarus during the 2012 Olympics or last summer’s under-21 European Championships, you should be fairly familiar with their squad. They managed a home draw against Milan last season, but they could better that with a third-place finish this time around.
Dead Last: Lille
Lille are nothing like the side they used to be. When they won Ligue 1 in the 2010/11 season, they featured Eden Hazard, Moussa Sow and Gervinho. All three have now moved onto greener pastures. Their performance in last year's edition of the Champions League was pretty weak, and they barely managed to get through their playoff against Copenhagen on Wednesday.
Best Player: Bastian Schweinsteiger
If healthy, the answer is quite clearly Bastian Schweinsteiger. Unfortunately, nobody knows when the Germany international's going to be healthy again. The best all-around midfielder in the game today, Schweinsteiger offers complete control of a match from a box to box role.
Emerging Star: Javi Martinez
Well, kind of. Anyone who costs €40 million has emerged pretty well already. But the Spain midfielder never really gotten a chance to shine on the biggest international stage yet, and if he starts alongside Schweinsteiger int he Bayern Munich double pivot this could be his coming out party.
Must-Watch Game: Valencia vs. Bayern Munich
Probably the only mostly-competitive match in this group. Valencia will need at least a point from Bayern at the Mestalla to be comfortable about advancing. They’re probably not quite good enough to manage it, but at least the match itself should be interesting.
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