EUROPEAN PEDIGREE HOW THEY QUALIFIED TACTICAL TALKING POINTChampions League Final winners
against Bayern in Munich in 2012,
Chelsea added another European
trophy in May after beating Arsenal
in the Europa League Final in Baku.
The club also won the 2013 Europa
League and the 1971 and 1998
Cup-winners Cups.
Dinamo have competed six times
in the Champions League group
stage but have never managed
to reach the knockout phase. Last
season, after losing a play-off to
Young Boys, they dropped into the
Europa League and reached the
round of 16 for the first time.
Two previous appearances in the
Champions League but have yet
to win a game. They reached
the Europa League quarters last
season. Their biggest contribution
to European football has been in
the scouting and development
of young players.
Juve are Italy’s most decorated club
in terms of domestic honours, but
as far as Europe goes they remain
in the shadow of Milan’s seven titles
with just two victories, in 1985 and
- They also won the 1984
Cup-winners Cup and UEFA Cup in
1977, 1990 and 1993.
The club has twice reached
European Finals – the UEFA Cup
in 1976 and European Cup in
1978 – losing to Liverpool on
both occasions. In the modern
Champions League era, they have
not got out of the group stage in
five attempts.
Galatasaray are the first – and so
far only – Turkish club to have won
a European club trophy. In Terim’s
first spell as coach, a team featuring
Gheorghe Hagi and Hakan Sukur
won the 2000 UEFA Cup, beating
Arsenal on penalties in the Final
in Copenhagen.
Inter, coached by Jose Mourinho,
won a third European crown in
2010 after beating Bayern Munich
in Madrid, to add to titles in 1964
and 1965. Last year’s participation
in the Champions League group
stage was their first appearance
in the competition for eight years.
Lille are back in the Champions
League for the first time since
2012, when they finished bottom of
their group, behind Bayern Munich,
Valencia and BATE Borisov. Their
best performance was in 2006-07,
when they lost to Manchester
United in the round of 16.
Finished in the Premier League
top four but their Europa League
victory guaranteed them a place in
the Champions League group stage.
Eden Hazard was the star but he
announced his departure in the
minutes after the 4-1 victory over
Arsenal in Baku.Lampard is giving opportunities to
youngsters like midfielder Mason
Mount, but he still has a Hazard-
sized hole to fill and faces the same
dilemma as predecessor Maurizio
Sarri over whether to deploy N’Golo
Kante or Jorginho as the team’s
deep-lying central midfielder.Last season’s runaway Croatian
champions beat Georgian title
winners Saburtalo Tbilisi and
Hungary’s Ferencvaros in the
qualifying rounds, and then
overcame Norwegian champions
Rosenborg in the play-off to claim
their place in the group stage.Spanish under-21 international
striker Dani Olmo has been
Dinamo’s most important player
for the past two seasons, but he
was linked with a deadline-day
move to a number of top clubs,
including Atletico Madrid, Valencia
and Benfica.Belgian champions, their fourth
league title and first since 2011.
Leandro Trossard was the star and
the latest talent sold (to Brighton)
after such as Yannick Carrasco,
Christian Benteke, Thibaut Courtois,
Divock Origi, Kevin De Bruyne,
Kalidou Koulibaly and Leon Bailey.Last season, Genk were the most
attack-minded side in the Belgian
league. But will they have to
moderate such tactics in European
competition. Midfielders Theo
Bongonda and Ianis Hagi are
the latest arrivals on the Genk
conveyor belt.Champions of Italy for the eighth
successive season, with Cristiano
Ronaldo becoming the first player
to win titles in England, Spain and
Italy. But the departure of coach
Massimiliano Allegri, who stepped
down after five highly successful
seasons, marked the end of an era.Juve made some impressive
signings with the likes of Aaron
Ramsey, Matthijs De Ligt, Adrien
Rabiot and the return of Gianluigi
Buffon. But even with the sales of
Moises Kean and Joao Cancelo, the
squad looks overloaded. Can Sarri
keep everyone happy?The runners-up to Genk in last
season’s Belgian First Division came
through two rounds of qualifying. A
dramatic injury-time goal in Ukraine
gave them a 3-3 draw (and a 4-3
win on aggregate) against Dynamo
Kiev. They then overcame Austrian
side LASK.Brugge play 4-3-3 under Clement,
having ditched the three-man
defence and wing-backs of last
season. South African Percy Tau,
on loan from Brighton, adds skill
and pace but can be unpredictable- he collected two yellow cards and
was sent off against Dynamo Kiev.
Won their second successive
Turkish title – and 22nd in
total – after overhauling Istanbul
Basaksehir, who had been eight
points clear. The defending
champions won a dramatic title
decider 2-1 on the penultimate
weekend of the season.With finances tight, Gala are
gambling on loan deals to reinforce
the squad, with Jean Michael Seri
from Fulham and Steven Nzonzi
from Roma. They are also taking a
punt on former teen sensation
Emre Mor from Celta Vigo, as well
as veteran winger Ryan Babel.Finished fourth in Serie A, a
point ahead of city rivals Milan
but 11 points behind champions
Juventus. Much of the campaign
was overshadowed by a feud with
Argentinian striker Mauro Icardi,
who remained at the club through
the summer despite several offers.Will the arrival of Uruguayan Diego
Godin allow Conte to play his
trademark three at the back?
How will Romelu Lukaku, the main
summer signing at €72m, fare?
And can on-loan Alexis Sanchez
rediscover the form that eluded
him at Manchester United?Finished second in Ligue 1 to
Paris Saint-Germain, providing
the strongest challenge to the
perpetual champions. However,
the outstanding players in their
campaign have left, with Nicolas
Pepe sold to Arsenal and Thiago
Mendes joining Lyon.It was a busy summer, but can
the new arrivals – who include
Renato Sanches (Bayern €20m),
Yusuf Yazici (Trabzonspor, €16.5m),
Victor Osimhen (Charleroi €12m)
and Timothy Weah (PSG, €10m)- compensate for the loss of Pepe
and Mendes?
GROUP STAGE
2019-20Choice...
Jorginho
(right)Play-off...
RosenborgGenk... FenixstadionTeam...Sarri
and RonaldoVictorious...
celebrating
against LSAKPunt...
Emre
Mor
(left)Arrival...
Romelu
LukakuSigning...Yusuf Yazici