Liverpool
Olympique Lyonnais
Fiorentina
Debreceni VSC
Group E must be considered the group of death. Liverpool, Fiorentina and Lyon all have a legitimate chance of advancing to the knockout stages while the Russian Champions Debreceni will do everything they can to cause problems for the other teams and advance themselves.
Liverpool has a spectacular record in the Champions League under Rafa Benetiz including two semifinal defeats, one final defeat, and one unforgettable night in Istanbul which I still consider one of the best matches I have ever seen (Liverpool down 3 goals at the half against AC Milan in the final storm back and win in penalties). Pool have suffered a rough start to the premier league as they adjust to life after Xavi Alonso but as long as Gerrard and Torres stay fit and new boy Glenn Johnson continues his sparkling start to the season, Pool should win the group.
Last season saw Lyon, 7 time defending French champions, finally lose their crown and lose star players Juninho and Karim Benzema. However, the arrival of Lisando Lopez from Sporting has already made some forget Benzema as the free scoring forward has lit up the league with his scintillating play.
However, if Lyon want to advance they must overcome a dangerous Fiorentina side. La Viola had an interesting offseason which saw the departure of fan favorite Felipe Melo to Juventus (a player I begged Wenger to sign for Arsenal). While losing Melo was a blow, Fiorentina happily took the 26 million euro transfer fee and set about strengthening their squad with the additions of German forward Savio Nsereko, defender Lorenzo De Silvestri, as well as Christian Zanetti and Marco Marchionni from Juventus. La Viola knocked out Sporting in the playoffs to get to the group stages and followed that up by winning their opening Seri A match.
Nevertheless, I think this is the year Lyon makes some noise and advances to the knockout stage (I dare say they make the quarterfinals). Now that they lost their French League Crown, Lyon have nothing to lose and will throw everything at the Champions League.
Unfortunately, every group needs a basement team and Hungarian champions Debreceni are going to be it. Debreceni should hold their heads high though as they successfully navigated through three playoff rounds to advance to the group stages. The Hungarian outfit won the right to host Liverpool, Lyon and Fiorentina while the profits from those matches and TV money will go a long way to help provide stability to the club.
Group F
Barcelona
Inter Milan
Dynamo Kyiv
FC Rubin Kazan
I love how random draws somehow provide the best matches. Inter v. Barca for me are easily going to be the best games of the group stage. One of the biggest stories this summer was the prolonged but eventual transfer of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Inter Milan to Barcelona, which also saw Samuel Eto'o go the other way and an obscene amount of cash. Eto'o or Ibra? Hard to choose really, Eto'o is a goal machine who powers his way through opposing defenses and has the honor of having scored in the Champions League final on two separate occasions (including the heart breaker for me against Arsenal in 2006). Eto'o has started his Serie A season strong and scored in his debut.
Zlatan led Inter to three successive Serie A titles and was top scorer in Italy. He at times single-handedly won games for Inter while his vision and touch countless highlights for fans throughout his time in the Serie A. One of Ibra's only shortfalls is his lack of success in the Champions League. Despite his amazing scoring record in the league, Ibra mysteriously goes missing during the Champions League and fails to live up to his reputation. The prolonged transfer saga saw Inter coach Jose Mourinho take a few departing shots at Ibra.
Barca, last years record setting treble champions, look to defend their crown. The additions of Zlatan and Ukrainian defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy add some style and steel to an already impressive team. Lionel Messi looks to continue his sparkling for as the European Player of the Year and soon to be announced World Player of the Year will only improve (a frightening thought indeed).
On a personal note, I have a love/hate relationship with Barca. They play gorgeous Arsenal like football but splash the cash around and steal my favorite players. I remember waking up the fateful morning Thierry Henry transfered to Barca freaking out knowing something bad happened. My worst fears were confirmed as I read about Henry's transfer to Bara. Just 2 years ago Barca stole another favorite of mine, Alex Hleb, only to bench him and send him to Germany. Barca also attempted to unsettle Arsenal Captain Cesc Fabregas all summer and again today made comments about attempting to bring him home in the January transfer window (Cesc was a Barca youth product who left for Arsenal at 16). Finally, how can I forget the heartbreak in Paris? Up 1-0, playing the entire match with 10 men, and only 15 minutes from that elusive European Crown. Henry squandered multiple chances to seal victory but it is hard to blame the man who carried Arsenal to that final. I still have nightmares about the match and to this day hold a grudge against Barcelona that I will never let go of.
Moving on, Inter Milan had an amazing summer. The self proclaimed special one made multiple signings in the transfer market and looks to secure Inter's fourth consecutive Serie A title. The additions of Eto'o, personal favorite Wesley Sneijder, Diego Milito, and Thiago Motta have made Inter a team to be feared. This past weekend saw Inter destroy AC Milan 4-0 in the first MIlan Derby of the year and the Nerazurri look to make a deep run in the Champions League this year.
Despite the talent at the San Siro I still think Barcelona will take the group with Inter finishing runner up. As much as I have fond memories of Dynamo Kiev lighting up Europe with the likes of Sheva and Rebrov (the 1st leg of the 1999 semi in Kiev is one of the best matches I have ever seen), Dynamo simply cannot challenge the juggernaughts that are Inter and Barca. As for Rubin Kazan, the Russian champions won their first Russian league crown last year and are enjoying their first trip to the Champions League. This relatively uknown team from the city of Kazan might turn some heads and challenge Kiev for 3rd spot and a trip to the Europa League (formerely the UEFA Cup).
That wraps up my assessment of Groups E and F, I will wrap up the final groups later this week and give you my take on Arsenal's traumatic loss at Old Trafford this past weekend.
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