UEFA Champions League draw results: Chelsea should better Schalke in Group G

Chelsea were one of the best handful of teams in Europe last season, and they’re only getting better. While their big European rivals failed to address their weaknesses and made transfer decisions based more on star power than building a side to win the Champions League, Chelsea got better in every way. They’re built for this competition and have a manager, Jose Mourinho, who is possibly the greatest of all time in it. Expect them to have little trouble winning four or five games.

While Schalke have become a fixture of this competition in recent years, they haven’t managed to become a real juggernaut or fallen too far. They’re not any different this year than they’ve always been -- they’re entertaining, their defense isn’t good and they’re the second-best team in their group. They’ve managed to hold on to Julian Draxler, but this might be the last year they have with their young star, so they better make the most of it.

It’s possible that Sporting could give them a run for their money, but only if the Portuguese side improve a defense that’s somehow even shakier than Schalke’s.

Entering this summer, Sporting had a squad that looked perfect for a dark horse run into the knockout stage, and perhaps past a big club in the Round of 16. However, they’ve sold both of their best promising young defenders, Eric Dier and Marcos Rojo. They’ve brought in a handful of new young defenders who could keep them competitive, but it’s unlikely that they match the level of the players who departed during the Champions League group stage. They’ll need their forwards to score in serious bunches to get out of this group.

Maribor needed a whole lot of time and luck to beat Celtic, who were only in the playoff round because the team that destroyed them made an illegal 87th minute sub. Maribor aren’t good. They should feel accomplished if they get a point out of this group.