UEFA Champions League - Group Stage Preview

The final group in this 32 team field offers some key traditional figures with Juventus and Manchester United highlighting the group, as these two storied clubs attempt to add more silverware to their already impressive collections.

Valencia and Young Boys will look to play spoiler in this collection of European royalty, so expect another competitive field of match-ups, as these teams should not be overwhelmed by their brand-name opponents.

Odds To Win - Group H


Juventus  -200 / 1.4 / 2/5
Manchester United  250 / 3.5 / 5/2
Valencia  +700 / 8.0 / 7/1
Young Boys  +5000 / 51.00 / 50/1

Group H

Juventus will certainly have the largest set of expectations as the first match arrives. The Italians have retooled for a Champions League journey, as the seven time defending Serie A champs feel like this season is championship or bust scenario.

Massimiliano Allegri was often rumored to leave the "Old Lady" over the Summer, but the successful head-man decided to stay in Turin and attempt to lead the Italian giants to an elusive European title. 

The largest name to change squads over the off-season was Cristiano Ronaldo, the former Real Madrid man was sold off by the Spanish side after helping guide them to four UEFA titles while a part of their star-studded squads. The Portuguese footballer has taken his talents to Italy, where he hopes to help  the 'Zebras' to the same type of success.

Ronaldo will once again have plenty of fire-power to join him in pursuit of a title, with Paulo Dybala, Juan Cuadrado and Douglas Costa all stepping up to the plate. This set of talented youngsters should see their opportunities to grow their games progress, with so much attention being shown too the high-priced tally's man.

The Italians did lose arguably the best goal keeper in the world when Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon decided to retire, and then elected to sign with French side PSG. Juve will now lean on the services of Wojciech Szczesny, who was brought over from Roma in anticipation of losing their living legend. The Polish keeper will certainly have huge shoes to fill, in helping keep up the tradition of a world class defense, and a rock in between the sticks. 

Juventus are clearly the class of this group, this squad have a lengthy list of players with European experience, and feel as if they are on the doorstep of finally making the final break through. Now with the addition of Ronaldo, the Old Lady believe they have added the missing piece for a Champions League trophy.

Manchester United make their return too UEFA's top tournament for a second season. After several years of poor finishes in the EPL table, the "Red Devils" are once again a part of the best teams in Europe.  

Jose Mourinho has been a large part of the overall turn around within the club. The "Special One" was brought in with intentions of bringing this club back to prominence, while winning trophies along the way, which he has already accomplished is just his third season with the English side.

Man U are another team who have been inconsistent to start their domestic campaign, but the Red Devils believe they have the ability to their fortunes around and grab positive results when they count the most. The English giants are accustomed to European Glory, capturing several titles during their rich history, giving them the blueprint to replicate their past accomplishments.

The Premier League side are not short of their own world class talent, known for being large spenders in the transfer markets, the Manchester board has invested greatly on seeing this team prosper. Mourinho has also had his hand in many of the major player movements, backing the decision to bring in the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Alexis Sanchez to help fill specific roles within his plan of attack

The amount of quality throughout this squad is undeniable, but if often looks as if these players feel constricted within the Special One's system. Mourinho is well known for doing just enough to get positive results, regardless of how the product looks on the pitch. The Portuguese was upset by a Sevilla side last season, when his team only managed to score one goal over two legs. With so much emphasis on attacking football in this day in age, it will be interesting to see how this Manchester United team go about their business, as they look to avoid another early exit by so called inferior squads.

Valencia were a fantastic team to follow last season. The "Bats" set La Liga on fire with their ruthless style of play, ultimately settling for a top four spot in the Spanish top flight table and earning a well deserved spot back in the Champions League draw. 

"Marcelino" García Toral worked his magic once again. Well known for getting the best out of each team he manages, the Spaniard  resurrected a floundering Valencia club, that was on the verge of relegation and instability throughout their head-brass.

The "Los Che" head man now has the opportunity of leading this high octane squad on multiple fronts. After several years of finishing near the bottom of the table, it will be interesting to see how this team will hold up with the additional work load. The 'Oranges' have made shrewd business moves over the last couple of seasons, stock-piling talent in each position, with an added emphasis on moving forward in attack.

The Spaniards have had much of their success within a classic 4-4-2 formation. The Bats are a very organized unit who make matters difficult for their opponents, while being very explosive in counter attacking situations where they can shred opposing defenses apart in the blink of an eye. 

Expect to see a heavy contribution from this talented midfield, with Daniel Parejo coming into his own as a true playmaker. Marcelino depends heavily on his young Spaniard to make the correct decisions through the middle of the pitch. World Cup standout Denis Cheryshev was brought in to add additional firepower down the wings, as this club is always looking to create space and place pin-point crosses into the box. 

Valencia's danger men must be respected by their fellow Group H opponents. Rodrigo, Santi Mina, Kevin Gameiro and Michy Batshuayi are all perfectly suited for Marcelino's style of play and their presence in the open field can cause match-up nightmares, as each have shown to be clinical while in front of goal.

The lack of overall European experience as a complete team could be a draw back for this squad, but their pure talent and style of play cannot be disputed. Spanish sides have traditionally had large amounts of success within a European platform, having to play many of the best teams in the world in their own league, they are fully prepared to match-up with other top teams across the continent.

Young Boys have already been battle tested early, having to navigate their way through the Champions League qualification process. The boys of Bern feel they have a slight advantage, having already played highly meaningful matches so early into the new season. 

Gerardo Seoane was thrust into the managerial role this season. After spending the last five years with FC Luvern, the Swiss task-master was selected to help lead this young group through a difficult European journey.

Seoane has seen instant returns on his plan of action and the Swiss squad are lighting their domestic league on fire, routinely scoring multiple goals per match, they have several options to place the ball in the back of the net. 

Young trigger-men Christian Fassnacht and Moumi Nicolas Ngamaleu, are partnered with veteran French striker Guillaume Hoarau to provide an impressive attacking presence, which should serve this side well as they will need to score goals in order to have any chance or derailing their larger Group H mates.

Young Boys are extremely young across the board, which generally works against teams who are matched-up with more experienced players in Europe. The young Swiss group are exciting and seem to be fearless regardless of the stage, but this four-some was a bad draw based on their opponents, and should be a great learning tool in the overall development of the squad.

Group H - Prediction

The safest bet to top the table resides in Italy, with Juventus on a clear mission to play for a Champions League title. The Old Lady have been the bridesmaids several times over the past couple of years and seem more desperate than most to finally lift that gorilla off their backs. 

Manchester United should make their way through the group stage with no problem, but this team can be very unpredictable and enjoy playing down to the level of their competition. The Red Devils are loaded with world-class players, and have the ability of beating any team in Europe they so desire, but giving their full effort for Mourinho will always be a looming cloud over this particular team.

Valencia are a legitimate threat to challenge both Juventus and Manchester United for spots in the Round of 16. The Bats play a style of football that does produce positive results and should not be overwhelmed based on who they share the pitch with. The best value in the group belongs to the La Liga side, as they are well equipped to pull the upset and go a on a magical European run.
 
Finally, Young Boys should be happy they made it this far in the tournament and thus, any positive showings they have over the next couple of months should be considered a victory.