Your ultimate Champions League guide: Which teams are flying and where are the potential upsets?

Just 59 days after Bayern Munich lifted the trophy in Lisbon, the Champions League is back as we prepare for the start of the group stages.

The world’s best club competition gets underway with a mouthwatering fortnight of fixtures, as 32 teams battle it out for a place in the knockout stages.

There are first-timers and serial winners among the teams, and Sportsmail is here to delve deeper into each of the eight groups ahead of Tuesday night’s big kick-off… 

Group A

Who’s flying domestically? 

Of the four teams in Group A, you would absolutely expect Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid to secure their place in the last 16. They have been two of the major heavyweights of European football over the last few years.

Domestically so far this season, it has been a positive start for all four teams, barring some minor hiccups. Atletico are just eighth in LaLiga as it stands, but they have two games in hand on some teams and are the only unbeaten side in the division.

Bayern slipped up against Hoffenheim in September, but have won every other game in the Bundesliga, while RB Salzburg are in imperious form having won all of their four matches, scoring 17 goals in the process.

Lokomotiv Moscow, meanwhile, are a way further into their own league season, sitting fourth in the table behind Zenit, Spartak and CSKA after 11 matches. 

Potential upsets

The first round of fixtures pits Bayern against Atletico and Salzburg against Lokomotiv, so there’s no real upsets on the cards. What the games will do, though, is give us a clue as to who will top the group, and who of the two unfavoured sides will give themselves a shot at finishing third and securing a Europa League spot.

Salzburg’s impressive league form, albeit not in the most competitive league, will give them belief that they can overcome their Russian opponents on matchday one and begin their hunting of the second-placed side, most likely to be Atletico Madrid.

Let’s make it clear though, an upset in Group A would be a massive shock.

The big stars

Of course, the majority of the big names in this group come from the two top sides. All eyes are on Luis Suarez at Atletico Madrid as he looks to go further in this competition with Atletico Madrid than he did with Barcelona in recent seasons.

At Bayern meanwhile, the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Serge Gnabry and Alphonso Davies will be looking to retain the title they won by beating PSG back in August.

In the other sides, Salzburg will be pinning their hopes on Patson Daka, who already has five goals in four matches, and Sekou Koita, who has four. At Lokomotiv Moscow, their main goal threat is Fedor Smolov but putting the ball in the back of the net has been an issue this season – they’re only three points off the top of the table but have scored half as many goals as the leaders. 

What to watch out for 

The intriging battle for top spot between Bayern and Atletico. They play each other on Wednesday night at the Allianz Arena, with the Germans the huge favourites, but if Diego Simeone can do what Diego Simeone does best and produce a brilliant defensive display from his side, then this group will get very interesting.

Group B 

Who’s flying domestically? 

Nobody from Group B, is the honest answer. Real Madrid have just been beaten by newly-promoted Cadiz, Shakhtar Donetsk have drawn three of their opening six games in a league they should be walking, and both Inter Milan and Borussia Monchengladbach are outside the top five.

Monchengladbach in particular have had an awful start to the season, leading to some drawing the conclusion that they massively overachieved in the last campaign. They currently sit 11th in the German top flight, with one win in their opening four games. 

Potential upsets

This is another group that, realistically, should have a fairly clear top two. Real Madrid are favourites to top the tree, with Inter Milan following them through to the last 16.

That said, Shakhtar Donetsk haven’t finished lower than third since 2011-12 and have made it out of the group four times in the last decade. Most recently, they came second in a group with Manchester City, Napoli and Feyenoord in 2017-18, so don’t write them off just yet.

Both Real and Inter have shown that they do have off-days… and we’ll see on Wednesday night whether they can force Zinedine Zidane’s side to have another of theirs.

The big stars

At Real Madrid, the big names to watch out for are of course the likes of Karim Benzema, Vinicius and Sergio Ramos, while Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku continues to impress since leaving Manchester United.

Also in the Inter team so desperate to compete in the latter stages of the Champions League this season are Lautaro Martinez, Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sanchez.

Monchengladbach have former Newcastle man Valentino Lazaro on loan from one of their opponents Inter, while Alassane Plea is certainly one to watch going forward. At Shakhtar, the squad is split fairly evenly between Ukrainians and Brazilians, with Viktor Kovalenko and Dentinho splitting the goals between them so far this season.

What to watch out for

Real Madrid vs Inter Milan is, of course, the most mouthwatering tie, but watch out for Shakhtar against both of the big boys as they look to create an upset and sneak a place in the last 16.

Antonio Conte and Zinedine Zidane are old Juventus team-mates, but they will be enemies in the dugout as they both look to steer their side to European glory this season.

Interestingly, the two big sides in this group also haven’t faced each other since the late 90s, so it will quite a spectacle seeing them face up to each other in the coming weeks. The last time they met was in November 1998, with Roberto Baggio scoring twice for Inter in a 3-1 win in Milan. 

Group C

Who’s flying domestically?

Porto and Olympiacos are the two most in-form sides in Group C, sitting second in their respective Portuguese and Greek top flights. City, meanwhile, are 10th having failed to win two of their opening four games, but if they win their game in hand they can move up to third.

Marseille are struggling down in sixth in Ligue 1 with three recent draws, but they have only lost one of their opening seven games heading into the Champions League this week.

Potential upsets

Group C is wide open for a team that wants to take it by the scruff of the neck this season. City are the big favourites to top it, but any of the other three could secure their place in the knockout stages with a few decent performances.

Porto are the most likely to join Pep Guardiola’s side, but Marseille will be eyeing a spot above them if they can secure an opening-day victory against Olympiacos away from home. 

The big stars

Again, perhaps unsurprisingly, the biggest names in Group C come at Manchester City, with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero all ready to line up in Europe’s premier competition this week.

At Porto, Pepe is the most recognisable face among the squad, while Marko Grujic, Felipe Anderson and Malang Sarr are all there on loan from Premier League sides.

Olympiacos have former Bayern Munich star Rafinha among their ranks, while Marseille will be hoping Dimitri Payet and Michael Cuisance can fire them to victory.

What to watch out for

Who takes second place, really. Porto and Olympiacos are the two in-form sides and on paper it should be the Portuguese giants making it through, but it’s there for the taking if someone can find some form.

Elsewhere, Benjamin Mendy could be set for an emotional return to his old club Marseille if he returns to fitness in time, and a trio of Portuguese Manchester City stars in Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo will be hoping to get one over their old rivals Porto too. 

Group D 

Who’s flying domestically?

Liverpool’s early struggles in the Premier League have been well-documented, with the champions losing at Aston Villa and drawing against Everton in their first five matches.

Ajax also have a defeat to their name in the Eredivisie but sit second just behind PSV, while Atalanta are flying high up in third in Serie A.

In Denmark, Midtjylland are far and away the best side but currently sit fifth after a far-from-perfect start. It’s almost as if they’ve got one eye on the Champions League. 

Potential upsets

It’s fair to say that if Midtjylland get anywhere near the top two in this group, there’s been a major upset along the way.

This is their first appearance in the group stages of the Champions League, and they’ve only ever made the group stages of the Europa League once before, finishing second in 2015-16 before getting knocked out by Manchester United in the last 32.

Atalanta getting through would also be a big surprise, but if they bring their A-game in the two matches against Ajax, there’s nothing to say they couldn’t nick a place in the last 16 of the competition.

The big stars

Of course, Liverpool’s big names speak for themselves. The 2018-19 Champions League winners count the likes of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino among their ranks, and anything less than top of the group will have been a huge failure.

Ajax are captained by Dusan Tadic, while Daley Blind and keeper Maarten Stekelenburg will be familiar names to fans of the Premier League.

Atalanta have Luis Muriel up top, while stalwart Papu Gomez is in fine form and will be expected to chip in with plenty of goals this season. Midtjylland, meanwhile, have Pione Sisto on the wing, and Lasse Vibe who used to ply his trade at Brentford.

What to watch out for

Midtjylland, really. It is HUGE that they have made it as far as this, beating Ludogorets, Young Boys and Slavia Prague along the way in the qualification stages. Expect them to finish bottom of the group, but the players will be giving everything to prove that they are worthy of the highest stage.

Liverpool should breeze through the group, but their game against Ajax on matchday one is expected to be one of the highlights of this stage of the competition. It will be free-flowing, exciting – and hopefully full of goals.

Group E

Who’s flying domestically? 

Chelsea have two wins, two draws and a defeat in their first five, slipping up against Southampton at the weekend when it looked as though they would move up to third in the Premier League table.

Over in Spain, Sevilla started well with two opening victories, but have since drawn with Barcelona and then this weekend lost against Granada. They will be desperate to return to winning ways in west London tonight.

Krasnodar have had a horrible start to the season and sit seventh in the Russian Premier League after 11 games. They’re currently behind the likes of Sochi and Rostov – a position they aren’t used to.

In France, Rennes have continued their fine form from last season and sit third in the top flight, going into this week’s European exploits off the back of three straight victories.

Potential upsets

Another group with two European heavyweights puts Krasnodar and Rennes in with very little chance of progressing to the knockout stages, and they may well be more keen on securing third spot and a place in the Europa League.

In fact, they face off on matchday one tonight, so can take an early advantage in their bid to upset the odds. Rennes are perhaps the early favourites given their home advantage and brilliant form.

It is fair to say that if the one-two in this group doesn’t involve both Chelsea and Sevilla, then something very surprising has happened.

The big stars

Chelsea will be pinning their hopes on the likes of Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech after a mammoth £250m summer spend. It will be intriguing to see whether their massive push in the transfer window can propel them closer to glory on the European stage as well as the domestic one.

In Seville, Luuk de Jong is finding his feet and Lucas Ocampos was one of the breakthrough stars of last season in LaLiga. Ivan Rakitic is also back from Barcelona, while Jules Kounde and Diego Carlos at centre back had a whole host of suitors in the summer.

Rennes have one of the best young players in Europe among their ranks in Eduardo Camavinga, while Serhou Guirassy joined this summer and already has three goals to his name. At Krasnodar, Remy Cabella will be familiar to Newcastle fans, while former Feyenoord star Tonny Vilhena and Wanderson are among the best of their XI.

What to watch out for

Whether Chelsea’s new all-star squad can romp through. Sevilla, a team with huge recent European pedigree, will provide their toughest test to date and it will be interesting to see whether Frank Lampard’s men can beat them on matchday one at Stamford Bridge.

It should be a case of Chelsea and Sevilla going through, but in which order is the real question. Rennes have never been in the Champions League group stages before so will be hugely excited to make their mark, too. All in all, it’s one of the most interesting groups in this season’s competition. 

Group F

Who’s flying domestically? 

Zenit have enjoyed a brilliant start to the season and are top of a Russian Premier League already 11 games deep. Expect them to hit the ground in Europe too after such a strong start.

Dortmund are third behind Leipzig and Bayern in the Bundesliga having stuttered against Augsburg in the early weeks of the season. 

Lazio, meanwhile, are down in 14th in Serie A after a dreadful start domestically – not the ideal scenario going straight into a game against Borussia Dortmund tonight.

Club Brugge, over in Belgium, top the table ahead of their rivals having won six of their opening nine fixtures. They won a shortened league last time out when coronavirus took hold and they’ve continued where they left off.

Potential upsets

Dortmund should win this group with relative ease, and then from there it’s a case of who nicks the second spot. On paper, Lazio are the favourites but their dreadful start to the season could well mean they leave the door open for Zenit or Brugge to get through. In truth, it would more likely be the Russians making it through.

Brugge have been hit with a series of positive coronavirus tests over the weekend and will be without three of their star man, including ex-Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet, for their opening game… that could well give Zenit the early advantage to pick up three points.

The big stars

Look no further than Borussia Dortmund, with Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland ready to take the competition by storm. They should romp through the group, and then it’s a case of just how far can they go?

Zenit have Dejan Lovren and Barcelona flop Malcom in their team, while Russia’s World Cup 2018 hero Artem Dzyuba is captain. Lazio have the formidable Ciro Immobile, while Liverpool heroes Lucas Leiva and Pepe Reina are also in the squad.

Club Brugge, as already mentioned, also have an ex-Liverpool keeper in Mignolet, while Emmanuel Dennis is an incredible young talent previously linked with the likes of Manchester United in the transfer window. 

What to watch out for

All eyes will certainly be on Dortmund in all of their group games as the world waits to get another glimpse of Haaland and Co on the European stage. Lucien Favre’s exciting young team should fly through the group… but who goes with them is the big question.

In their first game tonight, they have former striker Immobile up against them, six years after he scored four goals in six Champions League games for the German giants in his only season at the club. 

This is one of the more open groups of the eight in this season’s Champions League. 

Group G

Who’s flying domestically? 

Juventus are unbeaten in Serie A but have only actually won one game, against Sampdoria in their opener. Since then they’ve drawn two, and were given three points after Napoli failed to turn up to their match earlier this month.

Barcelona, much like Real Madrid, have endured a stuttering start and will this week have one eye on Saturday’s Clasico. They currently sit 9th in the LaLiga table, behind the likes of Cadiz and Granada.

Dynamo Kiev are top, and unbeaten, in the Ukrainian Premier League, winning four and drawing two of their opening six matches. Ferencvaros, meanwhile, ply their trade in Hungary’s Nemzeti Bajnoksag I, and they are sitting pretty at the top, with four wins and a draw from their opening five.

Intriguingly, then, it’s the two unfancied sides in this group who have started really well.

Potential upsets

It would probably be the shock of the competition if either Juventus or Barcelona failed to qualify for the knockout stages, given the size of both of their opponents in Group G.

Ferencvaros have reached this stage only once before, back in 1995-96, where they finished third in a group with Real Madrid, Ajax and Grasshopper. Kiev, of course, have slightly more European pedigree and even got out of their group as recently as 2015-16, before losing to Manchester City in the round of 16.

That said, it would be a massive shock if they pulled off anything other than third place and a spot in the Europa League this season. 

The big stars

This group has arguably the biggest names in world football, with Juventus lining up with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Matthijs de Ligt, while Barcelona have Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Ansu Fati. Their games against each other will be some of the most-watched in the group stages of the competition.

Dynamo Kiev, meanwhile, have a couple of really talented young players in Viktor Tsygankov and Vitaliy Mykolenko, while midfielder Tudor Baluta is on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion.

Ferencvaros have former Manchester City youngster and Slovakia star Robert Mak leading the line, while keeper Adam Bodgan will be familiar to fans of Liverpool, Bolton and Wigan among others. 

What to watch out for

Quite simply, Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo. October 28 will see the world-beating pair face off against each other for the first time since CR7’s move to Italy back in 2018. 

For almost a decade prior to that, they had battled it out in Clasicos and in the Ballon d’Or every season, and it will be hugely exciting to see them line up on opposite teams again.

Of course, Ronaldo has recently had coronavirus but it is not expected to keep him out of the mouthwatering clash in a week’s time. 

Group H 

Who’s flying domestically? 

PSG began the season with two very surprising defeats, but have since put together four straight wins, netting 10 goals in their two most recent games. That might be bad news for Manchester United heading into their game tonight.

The English side brushed aside Newcastle – eventually – on Saturday night, but currently sit 15th in the Premier League having lost as many games as they’ve won so far this season.

Leipzig are flying high in the Bundesliga, top of the tree and without a defeat in any of their four matches so far this campaign. 

Istanbul Basaksehir, over in the Turkish Super Lig, have endured a woeful start to their own season and are actually moored in the relegation zone, having won just one of their first five games. Not exactly the perfect preparation for an incredibly tough Champions League group.

Potential upsets

If Manchester United don’t make it through to the knockout stages, you’d have to say that it absolutely wouldn’t be an upset. 

Although historically United are the biggest side, both PSG and Leipzig are top teams and going on current form, you’d have to say that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men are the underdogs.

A tough trip to Paris to start could put them instantly on the back-foot, and if Leipzig put a few past Istanbul Basaksehir then it’ll be an uphill climb for United.

Other than that, if Istanbul Basaksehir even pick up a point in the group, they will have provided a significant upset.

The big stars

Across all three of the big teams in this group, there are an array of stars on show. Starting with United, they will be hoping that new striker Edinson Cavani can fire them plenty of goals, while Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Anthony Martial can all chip in to fire them through.

At PSG, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are the stars of the show waiting to down United, while Leipzig can count on Dani Olmo and Yussuf Poulsen going forward. At the back, the Germans have Dayot Upemecano, heavily linked with a move to the Premier League in the transfer window this summer.

Istanbul Basaksehir have plenty of names that will be familiar to fans of English football, with ex-United right back Rafael, Nacer Chadli, Demba Ba and Martin Skrtel all in the team.

What to watch out for

Although not with the squad for their trip to Paris tonight, Edinson Cavani lining up against his former side in the return fixture at Old Trafford later in the competition will be an interesting battle. Of course, on the opposite side, Angel Di Maria still has much to prove against his old club after a disastrous spell in the Premier League with United.

When Istanbul visit Old Trafford, it will be an emotional night for Rafael, while on a more general note millions will be watching this group purely to see which two sides of the three giants will progress to the last 16.