When the Champions League starts, it is in its current form for the 27th season. Prior to the change of name and the change with group games and playoffs, the tournament was named, among others, the European Cup for Champions Team, the European Cup and the Champions Cup.
Real Madrid has the most number of titles, 13 and the reigning champion Liverpool have won six times. The first and so far the only time a Swedish team went to the final was the 1978/79 season when Malmö FF fell against Nottinghamn Forest (1-0).
Forsberg and Nygren
Of course, some Swedish teams are not included this year, but two teams with Swedish players. Leipzig with Emil Forsberg and Belgian Genk with the young Gothenburg citizen Benjamin Nygren.
- I want to see Emil Forsberg shine in the European game and take the next step in his development. To contribute with goals and points to Leipzig, Daniel believes and continues:
- As for Benjamin Nygren, he is acclimating and must be satisfied if he can be included in the squad for any CL match. He has not yet had much playing time in the Belgian league.
- It is a sign of weakness that we no longer have Swedes in the European top teams. The players usually end up in the middle team where it is easier to get playing time which is good for the national team but in the long term I want more Swedes in the top team with regular playing time, says Daniel Nannskog.
New stars
The Champions League is full of stars ... Messi, Ronaldo, Salah, Neymar, Agüero and more. Daniel wants to highlight some new, young players who can get a breakthrough in front of larger audiences.
Ansu Fati, Barcelona - turns 17 years later this fall, forward and an extremely exciting player. Has followed him in the comedy show in La Liga. Hope to get some playing time in CL.
Tammy Abraham, Chelsea - turns 22 soon. The striker is currently leading the Premier League shooting league. It will be fun to see him against other opposition than in England.
Joao Felix, Atletico Madrid - turns 20 later this fall. The striker is a great ball talent. Technical.
The groups with Daniel's ranking
Group A
1. Real Madrid
2. Paris SG
3. Galatasaray
4. Club Brugge
- The two "dragons" Real and PSG take the group. Galatasaray may be threatening something now that Radamel Falcao has joined from Monaco, but that probably isn't enough.
Group B
1. Tottenham
2. Bayern Munich
3. The Red Star, Belgrade
4. Olympiakos
- Tottenham has acquired a routine in CL, was in the final at the latest and should have no problems moving on with Bayern which is not as good as a few years ago.
Group C
1. Manchester City
2. Atalanta
3. Shakhtar Donetsk
4. Dinamo
- City wins the group without further ado. Atalanta is an interesting newcomer. The team has been playing together for a long time and Duvan Zapata is the key player. The inexperienced, yes, but being able to participate in these contexts may outweigh this.
Group D
1. Juventus
2. Atletico Madrid
3. Bayer Leverkusen
4. Locomotive Moscow
- Juventus and Atletico have an extreme routine and will probably go a long way. Easy on.
Group E
1. Liverpool
2. Naples
3. Genk
4. RB Salzburg
- Liverpool looks awfully strong and is my final winner this season as well. With Dries Mertens in top form, Napoli ranks second.
Group F
1. Barcelona
2. Inter
3. Dortmund
4. Slavia Prague
- Barca is one of the favorites, but has previously had some problems in CL against teams with high speed / pressure like Liverpool and Roma. Could be a race for second place between Dortmund and Inter. Benefit Inter who recruited Romelu Lukaku.
Group G
1. Benfica
2. Leipzig
3. Zenit St. Petersburg
4. Lyon
- Wide open group. Benfica has the ability to move on and has also started the season well. Leipzig is good and has also got a strong start in the Bundesliga. Should move on.
Group H
1. Chelsea
2. Ajax
3. Valencia
4. Small
- Fun to follow Tammy Abraham's progress in the Premier League with Chelsea. Exciting to see if he can score even in CL. Ajax has lost leading players but always manages to get players coming from below. Ajax on.
Top matches right away
It will be a good start right away when the Champions League starts Tuesday and Wednesday with, among other things, these top matches:
Dortmund-Barcelona (Tuesday)
Naples-Liverpool (Tuesday)
PSG-Real Madrid (Wednesday)
Atletico Madrid-Juvetus (Wednesday)