The usual suspects are all set to enter this season’s UEFA Champions League fray as the newly revamped group stage gets underway this week. Bookmakers have Man City, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Liverpool and PSG as the front-runners for this season’s competition. All those footballing giants have been involved in Europe’s top club competition numerous times since it mutated from the European Cup to the Champions League at the start of the 1992/93 season.
While those previously mentioned well-fancied teams will grab most of the media spotlight, here we look at a handful of sides making their Champions League bow this season. Will they soar or slump on Europe’s biggest footballing stage?
Embed from Getty ImagesAston Villa – Heroes Or Villans?
Aston Villa are one of five sides in this season’s 36-team group stage who are making their Champions League debuts. However, you wouldn’t call Villa, European novices. After claiming the English First Division crown for the first time in over 70 years in 1981, under Ron Saunder’s guidance, Aston Villa would take Europe by storm the following season, lifting the European Cup aloft in Rotterdam in 1982.
Unfortunately for Ron Saunders, he had departed Villa Park three months earlier due to a contract disagreement, and it was left to his assistant, Tony Barton, to lead the Villa troops to glory against Bayern Munich. Peter Withe scored the only goal at the De Kuip that night, as Villa’s defensive strength came to the fore once again. Including the Final, they hadn’t let a goal in for five matches in a row.
Unai Emery Looks To Maintain His Impressive European Record
Aston Villa couldn’t rediscover the same spark as holders the following season. Despite clinching the European Super Cup, beating Barcelona 3-1 in a two-legged clash, they were knocked out at the Quarter-Final stage of the European Cup. It would be the last time Villa played in Europe’s premier club competition, until now. However, the Villans did qualify for the UEFA Cup on a number of occasions in the 1990s during the Ron Atkinson/Brian Little/John Gregory reigns without making a huge impact.
Aston Villa have gone from strength to strength in recent times, since one of Europe’s most respected managers, Unai Emery, took over the reins in November 2022. The Birmingham-based club recorded their best Premier League finish for 28 years last season, when finishing 4th, which guaranteed them a Champions League spot. Following their eye-catching run to the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finals, Aston Villa will now be looking to make an impact on a higher-profile European stage. With Unai Emery, who has led teams to Europa League triumphs on four occasions, at the helm, who knows how far Villa can go.
Embed from Getty ImagesGirona – The Spanish Minnows Hoping To Make A Splash
Girona are the 14th different Spanish side to reach the Champions League group stage and the first Spanish newcomers to the competition since Malaga’s maiden UCL quest in the 2012-13 season. Malaga reached the quarter-finals during that campaign, and Girona will be in dreamland if they can follow in their footsteps. It’s been a mesmeric rise for the club from Catalonia, who have only played four full seasons in La Liga since being formed in 1930. This will be only their third consecutive season in the Spanish top flight, having gained promotion from the Segunda Division during the 2021-22 campaign under the leadership of Michel, who had also achieved La Liga promotion with Rayo Vallecano and Huesca.
Beating Catalan Rivals Barcelona And Creating History
After a promising 2022-23 campaign back in the big time, where they finished 10th, Girona hit stratospheric new heights last season. The ‘Blanquivermells’ got off to a flyer, winning 11 of their opening 13 matches and after Matchday 3 they didn’t relinquish their top-3 spot in the La Liga table. They famously beat local rivals Barcelona for the first time at the Nou Camp last December and would go on to record a double over the Catalan giants in May, which clinched them a Champions League spot.
The 7-million Ukrainian summer signing, Artem Dovbyk, was an instant hit at the Estadi Montilivi, netting 24 times and topping the La Liga scoring charts last season. Girona’s all-time top scorer, Cristhian Stuani, also chipped in significantly, grabbing 14 league goals. That increased the Uruguayan’s total Girona goal-tally to 129.
Embed from Getty ImagesBologna – Life After Thiago Motta
Despite being Serie A regulars for the majority of the past 30 years or so, Bologna had never been in contention for honours or European qualification in the modern era, until last season, when they finished 5th. It was I Veltri’s best league performance since coming 3rd during the 1966-67 campaign, which was three years after their last Serie A title. Bologna’s only European Cup quest was over before it began during the 1964-65 season. The best they’ve managed on the Fairs Cup/UEFA Cup/Europa League front is reaching the semi-finals on two occasions (1968 & 1999).
Bologna’s recent revival was masterminded by Barcelona and PSG legend Thiago Motta. He took over the Bologna hot seat in September 2022, and the side finished the season 9th in the Serie A standings, their best league performance for 11 years. Motta’s defensive technical nouse shone through particularly last season, with Bologna only conceding 32 goals in the league, the third lowest tally in Serie A.
Sadly for the Bolognese faithful, Juventus has snapped up Motta, with the Fiorentina boss, Vincenzo Italiano, taking over from Motta at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara. The Premier League’s gain has also been Bologna’s pain, with last season’s club top scorer, Joshua Zirkzee, and club top assist-maker, Riccardo Calafiori, both now plying their trade in the EPL.
Embed from Getty ImagesBrest – Rising Like A Phoenix From The Flames
Stade Brestois 29, or simply Brest, is the most recently formed club of the five Champions League newcomers in this list. It was founded in 1950 following a conglomeration of a handful of local religious organisations, but the club didn’t reach the French top division until the late 1970s. After a successful stint in Ligue 1 during the 1980s, the club hit the buffers in devastating fashion. They were demoted in 1991 following huge financial difficulties, and the professional team was disbanded.
The club remained in the doldrums for a decade or so playing amateur football before returning to the French league set-up at the turn of the millennium. After another slow and steady rise, Brest returned to Ligue 1 at the start of the 2010-11 season. However, they struggled to find a foothold in the French top flight and were relegated after three tough campaigns. It took them another six seasons to gain promotion again, but they’ve remained amongst the French elite clubs since 2019.
The Brest Is Yet To Come
Brest had finished 14th, 17th, 11th, and 14th in Ligue 1 prior to Eric Roy’s first full-season campaign with the Brittany boys. No one could have expected Roy’s impact on the team. Despite falling to a season-low position of 8th at the start of November following three successive league losses, Brest rallied well to go on a 13-game unbeaten run until March.
Eric Roy’s men maintained their focus to finish the season in 3rd spot, to everyone’s amazement. Brest had qualified for Europe and the Champions League for the first time. No one set the goalscoring charts alight for Brest last season, but they’ll be thankful they’ve managed to keep the French pair of Romain Del Castillo and Mahdi Camara at the club, as both scored vital goals last season.
Embed from Getty ImagesSlovan Bratislava – Doing It The Hard Way
Last but not least, there’s SK Slovan Bratislava, who stormed to the Slovakian league title last season by a 15-point margin. That’s not usual, though, for the ‘Belasi’, who’ve been crowned champions 22 times since 1926 and are the most coveted side in Slovakia. They also won the Czechoslovakian League on eight occasions. Bratislava may be the Champions League debutant this season, but Europe is nothing new to them.
Prior to competing regularly in the UEFA Europa Conference league recently, Bratislava was involved in the group phase of the UEFA Europa League for several seasons. They even reigned as European champions in the distant past, beating Barcelona 3-2 in 1969 to lift the UEFA Cup Winners Cup.
Still Standing After A Qualifying Saga
Unlike the other four Champions League newcomers this season, Slovan Bratislava had to do it the hard way, working their way through all four qualifying rounds, which got underway in early July. They finally booked their place in the newly revamped 36-team Champions League group stage by beating Danish side Midtjylland 4-3 on aggregate.
Vladimir Weiss remains at the helm this season. The former Slovakia national team boss has been managing Bratislava since 2021. Weiss will be pleased he managed to keep hold of their Armenian playmaker, Tigran Barseghyan. He was the top scorer and top assist-maker in the Nike Liga (Slovak First Football League) last season.
UEFA Champions League – The Newcomers’ Opening Group Phase Fixtures
This season’s Champions League newcomers have the following fixtures this week:
Young Boys v Aston Villa (Tue 19:45)
Bologna v Shakhtar Donetsk (Wed 19:45)
Celtic v Slovan Bratislava (Wed 20:00)
PSG v Girona (Wed 20:00)
Brest v Sturm Graz (Thu 20:00)
Girona has the toughest opening test on paper of the UCL debutants, with a trip to Paris to take on the French giants, PSG, at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night. Despite reaching the Champions League semis twice in the past four seasons, PSG have flattered to deceive in Europe and will be aiming for an improved showing this time around.
Luis Enrique’s Parisiens have hit the ground running domestically this season, winning all four of their Ligue 1 games. Girona, on the other hand, have had a mixed start and head into Europe on the back of a dismal 4-1 home drubbing at the hands of Barca.
Embed from Getty ImagesUEFA Champions League – Where To Watch And All The Latest Odds
TNT Sports will be screening all of this week’s Champions League matches live on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, aside from AC Milan v Liverpool on Tuesday, which will be covered live by Amazon Prime Video. Click here to check all the latest Champions League tournament and match odds.
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