Gone are the days of groups of four. With the new Champions League format, Borussia Dortmund will have to fight through a gauntlet of no less than eight opponents. The draw took place yesterday, and BVB now know which teams they will have to face to have a shot at Europe’s most prestigious trophy:
In case you’re not an expert on football logos, here’s the list of fixtures:
Inter Milan (H)
Manchester City (A)
Villarreal
(H)
Juventus (A)
Bodø/Glimt (H)
Tottenham Hotspur (A)
Athletic Club de Bilbao (H)
FC København (A)
Overall, this is a very tough draw. Inter were Champions League finalists and missed out on winning Serie A by a single point last season, while Manchester City won the competition two years ago and are one of the strongest sides in all of Europe. Villareal are one of the top teams in Spain, and Juventus away is always a tough match. Tottenham may have struggled last season in the Premier League, but they won the Europa League and have looked much stronger this season. Athletic Club finished fourth in La Liga. Even Copenhagen away could be a tough match. The only “easy” game, for the purpose of this article, is facing the Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt at home. But then again, no game in the Champions League is truly easy.
As a reminder, the entire competition is comprised of 36 teams in one gigantic league table. After eight match-days, the top eight teams will automatically advance to the Champions League Round of 16, while teams 9-24 will play in a two-leg knockout round to advance. Last year, the teams tied for the final qualifying spots had 11 points each. If Dortmund can aim for four wins from the eight games, then they should have a decent chance of at least making it to that qualifying round.
