Barcelona’s Champions League draw results: Juventus rematch set for Group D

Last season was one of disappointment for Barcelona, failing to win La Liga or do particularly well in the Champions League. It’s been a tough and dramatic summer as well, making the outcome of their Champions League group draw even more important than normal as they seek to re-establish themselves as the dominant force in Europe.

Barcelona often seem to steady themselves out based on their Champions League performances, so drawing a good group was of paramount importance to their fans. They were rewarded with two teams that are definitely beatable without being absolute pushovers — still good enough to force Barcelona to play to their level — and further rewarded with a chance to exact some vengeance for last season’s struggles and early exit from the Champions League.

Juventus (Italy), Olympiacos (Greece), Sporting Lisbon (Portugal)

That’s unquestionably Juventus, who put Barcelona down hard in the quarterfinals of last season’s Champions League. Barcelona will be itching for this rematch to set the record straight. But after a tough summer for both clubs — but definitely worse for Barcelona with the loss of Neymar — these matches could be very different than the tie we saw in spring.

But both Sporting and Olympiacos are still good teams that, while they’re not on the level of Barcelona or Juventus, have the ability to cause both giants trouble on the right day, especially when they’re playing on their home turf. There are no guarantees here, and Barcelona will have high expectations — especially when they face off with Juventus.

Barcelona look shaky right now, but they’re still active in the transfer market and they’ll have plenty of time to get back on their feet and steady themselves out. Whoever wins the group will depend very much on who comes out on top of their matches against Juventus. But on the balance, it’s hard to look past Barcelona as the favorites to win the group, with Juventus coming in second and likely with Sporting in third, dropping to the Europa League.