The best Champions League group stage matches this season
The 2023/2024 Champions League season starts this month with the best clubs in Europe looking to earn their place in the competition's knockout stages.
Some new clubs made the group stage in this campaign and the primary upset happened in the Premier League, where Arsenal and Newcastle United qualified ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea.
The Reds will play in the Europa League, while Chelsea has no European football after a horrific time in the last campaign.
Juventus also missed out on qualifying for the competition after several legal battles last season, and Olympique Marseille could not go through the qualifying rounds successfully.
Without them, the show goes, and the group stage draw for the competition has already been made.
Some groups have favourites to reach the competition's knockout stages, while others do not, which is familiar to the tournament's fans.
We expect outstanding fights between the clubs in every group, so now is the best time to get your tickets for the games around the continent.
There would be special nights in every group, and as the games go on, it becomes more interesting to watch every match.
However, we have covered some of the matches we believe will be some of the best in the competition's group stage this term.
Bayern Munich vs Manchester United
The games between Bayern Munich and Manchester United are two of the most anticipated group-stage matches.
United returns to the competition after some fine work from Erik Ten Hag at Old Trafford last season.
The Red Devils are back in the big time and are among the top clubs in the continent again, but how will they fair against Bayern?
For several seasons, they were linked with a move for Harry Kane when the striker was at Tottenham, but United could not get a deal done.
The England captain now plays for Bayern after a big-money move to Bavaria in the last transfer window, and he will be the man to watch in the matches.
But Bayern is more than Kane and has a solid team even without the Englishman in their squad.
The game in Manchester will see Leroy Sane return to a city he knows very well, having spent several seasons on the books of Manchester City.
The winger continues to do well and will be among the Bayern attack hoping to cause problems for United.
Ten Hag turned Marcus Rashford into one of Europe's lethal goalscorers last season, and he fired the team to two finals and a top-four spot.
The England international is yet to get going this season, but he will relish the chance to prove his worth on the highest European stage in this fixture.
Napoli vs Real Madrid
Real Madrid always wants to win the Champions League when they compete, and this season will not be any different.
The Whites have been put in a relatively good group and are expected to make the next round of the competition, but the matches between them and Napoli are games to watch.
The Italians won their league title last season and kept most of the key men who helped with that triumph, most importantly Victor Osimhen.
The Nigerian remains unstoppable, and he is one player we expect to shine in the games against the La Liga giants.
But Madrid has arguably the strongest squad in European football now, with Jude Bellingham arriving in the summer to make them even more robust.
The Englishman looks unstoppable as he scores, provides assists and delivers an all-around display that is too good to ignore.
Madrid will certainly be among the clubs to win the trophy, but we expect Napoli to give them a good game in the group stages.
Atletico Madrid vs Lazio
Atletico de Madrid has been one of the best defensive teams in Europe over the years under the guidance of Diego Simeone.
The Argentinian manager is one man who has taken the defensive style of football to a new level and is arguably the most crucial reason Atleti remains competitive.
His team keeps Madrid and Barcelona on their toes and reached the final of the Champions League twice between 2014 and 2016.
They are a side to fear for most top clubs and have been placed in a Champions League group that should make it easy for them to qualify.
However, Lazio will present them with arguably their toughest challenge in the group, which will be defence vs. attack when they square up.
While Simeone has built his reputation on a solid defence, Maurizio Sarri is reputed for being a manager whose team thrives on playing a possession style of game.
They focus more on the attacking phase than on defence and will test their mettle in the games against Atleti.
It will be a match to watch, and one thing for sure is that Lazio will have difficulty breaking down Atleti.
PSG vs AC Milan
PSG has been placed in a tough group alongside AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United.
It is probably the trickiest draw they have ever had and they would now have to prove they are serious about winning the Champions League.
Milan is the toughest opponent they will face in this group on paper, and what a fixture it would be.
The Italians spent the last transfer window bolstering their squad with some outstanding talents from all over Europe.
They have started the Italian league season very well and would be eager to reach the Champions League semi-final stage again like last season.
This should be Kylian Mbappe's last term with PSG and the Frenchman will want to leave on a high, so he is a player the Milanese will struggle against.
But both clubs have the players needed to defeat the other, and we expect this game to be one of the most exciting in the group stages this term.
Newcastle United vs PSG
The Newcastle United and PSG match will be between two state-sponsored teams, and one type of rivalry is emerging.
A Saudi state-backed fund took over Newcastle, and Qataris have owned PSG for a very long time.
The Magpies have done well in the last year, and qualifying for the Champions League ahead of Liverpool is ahead of schedule.
However, since Eddie Howe joined the club, they have made progress every term and the former Bournemouth boss will back himself to help the team make an impression in the Champions League group stage.
PSG is being rebuilt after losing Neymar, Lionel Messi and Marco Verratti, but Luis Enrique is still expected to do well in the Champions League.
He may not be sacked if he does not win the competition, but he has his work cut out to even qualify from this tough group.
The matches between Newcastle United and PSG would be one of the most interesting to see, and we expect fireworks at Parc des Prince and Saint James Park in both games.
So many Champions League group games will keep fans in front of their TV or at the stadiums this season, but the above matches are the ones we expect to be the hottest.
