Who against who? UEFA will draw the group stage of the Champions League on August 25th. The word hammer group could be exclaimed, especially in North Rhine-Westphalia.
FC Bayern definitely wants to come back. 289 days after the draw for the group stage on August 25 (from 6:00 p.m. CEST), the glittering final of the Champions League will take place in Istanbul, the place of longing.
According to Oliver Kahn, the German soccer record champion would like to win the billion dollar competition “every year” at best. The delegations of the four other Bundesliga clubs, thanks to newcomer Eintracht Frankfurt, are not traveling to Turkey quite so optimistically – after all, BVB and Bayer Leverkusen are threatened by the much-cited hammer groups.
A preliminary round with games against Real Madrid, FC Liverpool and Celtic Glasgow is just as possible for the two NRW clubs as games against Manchester City, FC Barcelona and Club Brugge. Bayern as champions and Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt, on the other hand, are in pot 1 – Real, Man City and Paris Saint-Germain, among others, are therefore not possible opponents. By being sorted into pot 2, RB Leipzig escapes Barça, Liverpool, Chelsea and Atlético Madrid, among others.
A test of unity
“It’s unusual for the German Bundesliga to start with five teams,” said Frankfurt’s sporting director Markus Krösche. “It also speaks a bit for German football.” The Hessians got their dream ticket for the premier class by triumphing in the small European Cup. Club president Peter Fischer wished for a group with Liverpool, Sporting Lisbon and Celtic Glasgow in the “Sport Bild”. “And it would be a great story because Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp played for us too,” he said.
Especially for Eintracht as a newcomer, the group phase in this special World Cup season will be a test. The European football union UEFA is whipping through the six games until the beginning of November because of the season that was interrupted by the Qatar finals. English weeks become a habit.
“We will need all the players in the squad this season, everyone in top condition because we have an extremely large number of games,” said Bayern CEO Kahn, who left no doubt when introducing the new signing Sadio Mané: “We formulate very clearly wanting to win the Champions League every year. You don’t win it by just saying so. You have to back it up with action.”
Glamorous event in Istanbul
As in previous years, UEFA is glamorously celebrating the drawing of lots. The fact that Istanbul is the draw location again may also have a football-political background – the Turkish association was not particularly lucky when it came to tournament and final awards. Europe’s footballer, footballer and coach of the year are also nominated. From a German perspective, Lena Oberdorf, national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg and Jürgen Klopp can hope.
On the following day, the draw for the group phase of the Europa League with 1. FC Union Berlin and SC Freiburg and the draw for the Conference League will take place at the same place.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
