Champions League Group E Preview : Defending Champions v/s The Invincibles! Who will prevail?

18 Yard Box has a look at Group E of the Champions League in detail and determine who will go through to the Round of 16.

As the dawn of a new Champions League campaign rises from the ashes in the Allianz Arena, we analyse Group E which sees the Italian ‘invincibles’ Juventus pitted against the current European champions Chelsea, Ukranian giants Shakhtar Donetsk and Danish champions F.C. Nordsjælland

Group E

1.   Chelsea FC	3.   Juventus
2.   Shakhtar Donetsk	4.   FC Nordsjælland

CHELSEA FC

They say that it is extremely difficult and almost impossible to defend the champions league crown due to the sheer competitiveness at the highest levels in football and the fact that teams of the calibre of Barcelona and United have failed to hold on to their European crowns seems to be a validation of this very idea. But ‘impossible’ is a word Chelsea fans take a special liking to if last year’s semi-final and final were anything to go by. Since the days of the ‘Magic of Munich’, Chelsea have lost their talisman and legend Didier Drogba to China but have added considerably to their squad. In Eden Hazard, Marko Marin, Oscar and Victor Moses, the European champions have secured bundles of pace, trickery and innovation in the opponents third. Hazard has especially caught the eye with three Man of the Match awards in his first three games in the Premier League. However, despite the presence of such immense innovation and creativity, doubts still linger whether Fernando Torres will be able to fill in the gigantic shoes of Didier drogba and put away all the chances that his team-mates will invariably create. Also, with the sale of Raul Meireless and Michael Essien (on loan), Chelsea suddenly look fairly lightweight in the deeper-midfield positions and the grit, determination and doggedness which Meireles and Essien provided could be a telling absence specially when they play away from home in harsh conditions. Finally, their defence looks shaky at times and has a tendency to implode on occasions such as Falcao aptly displayed in the European Supercup.

 
Can the duo of Hazard and Torres fill the void left by Didier Drogba?

JUVENTUS

It would be an understatement to say that the club nicknamed “The Old Lady of Turin” had a stellar last season. They not only wrestled the Serie A title back but also went about doing that with panache, aplomb, a three defender system and Pirlo in the form of his life. Not to mention that they remained unbeaten in the league. In Buffon, Barzagli, Bonnuci and Chiellini, the Turin giants have a backline to fear. The fact that they usually play with three at the back might take a number of teams from the upper echelons of the Spanish, English and German league some tactical getting used to as it usually leaves their wing-backs with all sorts of space to run into from pin-point Pirlo passes. While the new arrivals of Bendtner and Pogba weren’t exactly the players that Juventus needed to recruit to launch an assault onto the Champions League, their midfield comprising of the likes of Pirlo, Marchisio and Pepe can be more than a handful even on their worst days. Their one major disadvantage lies in their experience. Although the players are highly experienced at the top levels, the team itself as a whole missed out on the rigors of champions league football last season and many Italian pundits claim that this year might have just come a bit too early for the Bianconeri.

 
Pirlo’s form will be crucial to the Italian champions’ chances.

SHAKHTAR DONETSK

The Ukrainian giants have won the domestic league thrice in a row now and are undoubtedly Turkey’s prized entry into the Champions League. With a heady mix of Brazilian and Turkish players, Shakhtar have a very technically talented squad with a decent amount of flare through the ranks. However, they will consider themselves very unlucky to have been drawn in the same group as the European and Italian champions when there were easier scalps to be had. Nonetheless they will ensure that Chelsea and Juventus face hostile atmospheres when they arrive in Ukraine and will try to shut up the crowd when they themselves travel to London and Turin. Their over-reliance on the Brazilian duo of Willian and Fernandinho and the Croatian duo of Eduardo and Srna will prove costly once November and December approaches and their squad gets stretched.

 
Over reliance on Eduardo to bang in the goals may hurt Shakhtar in the long run

Nordsjælland FC

Completing Group E are Danish minnows Nordsjælland who have been on an exceptional domestic run having won and successfully defended the Danish Cup before proceeding to win the Danish Super Liga last year. The ‘Wild Tigers’ are well known in Denmark for their brand of attacking, aggressive football and they might prove to be a refreshing addition to the Champions Ceague this year. However, for them it is a case of managing to make it till the Champions League more than anything else and they will be playing for Danish pride against the English and Italian giants of Chelsea and Juventus.

 
Can the Danish minnows spring a surprise?

FINAL VERDICT 

The combination, fluidity and inherent positional interchanging abilities of Hazard-Mata-Marin-Oscar-Torres will provide a stern test to any opposition defence and hence Chelsea are favourites to top the group. Juventus will be expected to give Chelsea a close fight for the top spot but will be satisfied with a second place finish given that they did not even get a crack at the tournament last year. Despite the burgeoning talent in the Shakhtar squad, they will have a better chance at the Europa league this year and are expected to finish third in the group while the Danish minnows are expected to be bottom of the table.

Written By,

Apratim Mukherjee

Apratim is a an Editor and Writer for 18 Yard Box