Champions League draw results 2015: Atlético Madrid get off easy with Group C

Under the old Champions League draw system, Atlético Madrid would have been one of the teams in Pot 1. But because league champions get the top spots, they were forced down into Pot 2, and a likely candidate to end up in a group of death. Instead, they got lucky and they’re probably going to top Group C without too much of a problem.

The other knockout stage place will be contested between Benfica -- the Pot 1 team that got slotted into this group -- and Galatasaray. The Portuguese champions will be expected to get through, but they’re hardly a lock to progress. Gala’s made it to the knockout stages quite a few times.

And then there’s Astana. Poor Astana.

Atléti have had a dramatic offseason, losing some key players, but they’ve done an excellent job of replacing them. And most importantly, they haven’t lost their big superstars yet -- Koke and Antoine Griezmann. Secondary stars have been thoughtfully replaced, while emerging youngsters and returning loanees should fill in the gaps.

Jackson Martinez was Atléti’s flashiest summer signing, replacing Mario Mandzukic. Luciano Vietto should pick up some of the load up top as well, while Felipe Luis has returned from Chelsea. The amount of roster turnover Atléti’s had is a bit jarring, but they’ve improved in most positions, definitely gotten younger, and might be better this season than they were last.

While they’re usually known as a team that has some of the world’s best emerging young players, Benfica have switched up their strategy a bit recently. They have some top teenagers on their bench, but most of their starters are mid-20s value signings. That might not be great for neutrals watching just to spot the stars of the future, but it’s probably good for Benfica’s ability to win things immediately. Pray you get to see some of winger Bilal Ould-Chikh and forward Gonçalo Guedes, the club’s two most promising young talents.

The Turkish Super Lig continues to be a place for Olds to go when they don’t want to head to MLS, China or the Middle East, but aren’t wanted by big clubs in Europe’s top leagues. Wesley Sneijder’s been playing that game at Gala for a long time and he was joined this summer by Lukas Podolski, who Arsenal were perfectly happy to get off their books at any price. There are a lot of other decent, if unspectacular older players you’ll recognize, but Gala does have one great young talent -- left back Alex Telles, who is probably one year away from making a move to a massive club.

This is Astana’s first ever trip to the Champions League group stage, and now that they’ve made it, they might scramble to bring in some new players before the transfer deadline closes. But as it stands, they’re a virtual lock to be the worst team in the tournament.

In a minor surprise development, no huge clubs came in with a Godfather offer for Atléti’s star midfielder. He’s a player with no deficiencies who can play in the center or on the wing in just about any kind of tactic. There aren’t too many more complete players in the world.

Gala can’t count on taking points off Atléti, but they’ll need to take four from Benfica to progress to the next round.