Champions League draw results 2015: Real Madrid battle Paris Saint-Germain in Group A

Through the first two rounds of the Champions League draw, it looked like Group A was setting up to be the most difficult in the competition. But the two big sides got fortunate when teams from Pots 3 and 4 were allocated, making this group pretty straightforward. There will be a battle for the top spot, but it would be very surprising if Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain didn’t hold off the other two teams -- Shakhtar Donetsk and Malmo -- to make the knockout stage of the competition.

It doesn’t look like Rafa Benitez has Real Madrid firing on all cylinders yet, and they’re yet to capture David De Gea, but Los Merengues are still the best team in this group. Keylor Navas is still an upgrade over Iker Casillas in goal, and Cristiano Ronaldo is still one of the best players in the world. A day might come when Paris Saint-Germain is on par with the only team to win 10 European Cups, but they’re probably not quite there yet.

The acquisition of Angel Di Maria was an important one for PSG, and is the biggest argument for them pulling an upset on Real Madrid. The midfield three of him, Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi is one of the best balanced in Europe. And unlike last year, PSG have had Lucas Moura healthy from the start and playing a key role. Their only problem will be figuring out what to do with Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic again, assuming they keep both.

The Ukranian conflict has, sadly, lowered Shakhtar’s status in European football. They had to sell off some of their top Brazilian players this summer and were unable to replace them, since they’re no longer a particularly attractive destination for top foreign talent. With Douglas Costa and Fernando gone, they’ll find it difficult to challenge the top two in this group.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s former team doesn’t have much of a chance of finishing top two, but they’re not so bad for a Pot 4 team. They beat Celtic pretty comfortably to get here and have experienced full internationals from a variety of countries. You might recognize captain Markus Rosenberg from his solid stints in the Bundesliga, Eredivisie and La Liga ... and his not so great stint at West Bromwich Albion.

Benitez was hired because he was willing to make Bale the centerpiece of his team, as Florentino Perez wishes. So for better or for worse, he is Real Madrid’s key player. His success in his new role or lack thereof will have massive influence over how well his team does as a whole.

Dates haven’t been finalized yet, but the first match between these two teams will be big, wherever it is. PSG will feel like they need a win at home or a draw at the Bernabeu to win the group.