I hate the draw for the Champions League group stages!
Having to wait an hour to find out whom your team will meet in the next stage as team after team is allocated to one of the 8 groups is tedium laced with anticipation served with a pinch of anxiety. I would rather face this 60-minute torture than not be in the competition but I am glad that it is over for another season.
Celtic face another tough draw in this competition and they don’t come much tougher that the current holders AC Milan. Arguably the best known squad in the world this is a team with a world class player in every position. Milan, like any team in world football will have a weakness, it’s a shame that we don’t have any ex-Milan players on our books at the minute whom would be able to provide a dossier on their former employers weaknesses, lets face we all now their strengths!
Shakhtar Donetsk are a "team that tore us a proverbial new one" away from home a few years ago and are top of their domestic league at present, albeit on goal difference. With the inspirational Tymoshuk now plying his trade for Dick "the Weave" Advocaat’s Zenit St Petersburg and a few other stars from that period moved on they have struggled in the Champions League since that time but they are still a strong prospect.
Benfica are also a team we faced in last season’s campaign and they may be seeking to do to us what we did to them last term, although it was honours even after both teams won their home legs 3-0. They have an impressive squad but will be without the intelligence of Karagounis who left to Panathinikos and Simao how now plays in Madrid for Athletico.
I feel that this will be a difficult group to progress from. AC Milan should top the group but the race for second place will be tight. You would fancy Milan to take maximum home points and also get at least two points from their travels (Third time lucky at Parkhead methinks)! So if we can get maximum points at home that would leave Benfica and Shakhtar needing to pick up points against each other and I cant see either team winning home and away against the other. All in all I think 11 points will be good enough to top this group. I don’t think that is beyond us.
In other Celtic news today, a street party and parade will be held in the Garngad to celebrate the exit of Thomas Gravesen till the end of the season. Gravesen was keen to attend but he was looking for too much cash!
Only joking Tommy, we at Mon the Hoops wish you all the best for the future.
Yours in Celtic
Clydebuilt