In its second season under the expanded format, the eight-game, League-Phase slates for the Champions League were drawn today, setting up a number of highlights and tough pairings for participating Americans like Malik Tillman and Weston McKennie on the long road to next years knockout round and final in Budapest.
Once gain, the 36 teams that reached the League Phase were divided up into four pots based on their UEFA ranking, with every team facing two from each. This means that every participant has at least two games against continental powerhouses like Barcelona, FC Bayern or reigning champions PSG, with other tough matchups sprinkled throughout the schedule.
For the Americans who are expected to compete, their schedules will certainly be highlighted by these matches against the Pot 1 and more prominent Pot 2 opponents, however there are several other stories lurking beneath the overtly glitzy headlines.
Most notably, Malik Tillman and his new team Bayer Leverkusen – for which he was a record purchase this summer – will host his previous team PSV Eindhoven, which still sports USMNT teammates Ricardo Pepi and Sergiño Dest.
It’s almost a pity that the game will be played in his new home instead of in PSV’s Philips Stadium where the American would certainly receive a hero’s welcome upon his return to the team where he starred during the previous two seasons.
The expanded format gives several other Yank-on-Yank games featuring players who should – at the mercy of Mauricio Pochettino – be featuring on the USMNT’s World Cup squad next summer.
The PSV boys will also face Johnny Cardoso and Atlético Madrid, who they will host in Eindhoven.
Assuming he remains at Juventus for the remainder of the still-open transfer window, Weston McKennie will go up against Monaco’s Folarin Balogun, who has just returned to the USMNT after a long absence due to various injuries. McKennie could also face Dortmund youngster Cole Campbell, depending on how much the Houston-born winger establishes himself in the team after seeing a rumored summer transfer to Stuttgart fall through.
Overall, McKennie and Juventus might have caught a minor break with the schedule; despite having to face Spanish giants Real Madrid, their other Pot 1 opponent is Dortmund, who they will host, and who have been streaky over the past couple seasons. Apart from those two, Juventus face Benfica, Villarreal, Sporting, Bodø/Glimt Pafos and Monaco, giving them a straightforward path to at least a top-16 finish, and a reasonable shot at a bye that would come with a finish in the highest eight spots.
On the other hand, PSV will have a tough go, as Pepi and Dest will need to face Bayern, Liverpool, Atlético, Leverkusen as well as reigning Italian champions Napoli, with the other three games against Olympiacos, USG and Newcastle being the only ones where they might be considered favorites.
With his new team Marseille, Tim Weah might have also caught a bit of luck; Liverpool and Real Madrid will certainly be odds-on favorites, as likely will Italian runners-up Atalanta, however the remaining games against Brugge, Ajax, Sporting, Newcastle and USG are all winnable.
Tillmann and the Aspirin dealers are in a similar boat, with their toughest two opponents being the oil-backed duo of PSG and Manchester City, but a significant drop-off in the back-end including Villarreal, Benfica, PSV, Olympiacos, Newcastle and Copenhagen.
Cardoso will be tested against the trio of Inter, Liverpool and Arsenal, but Atlético will be confident of at reaching at least the knockout play-offs (for teams ranked 9-24) with Frankfurt, Bodø/Glimt PSV, USG and Galatasaray all being realistic chances to pick up points.
Finally, Balogun and Monaco will be looking heavily to their games against Galatasaray, Bodø/Glimt, Greeks Pafos and Club Brugge to amass enough points for a top-24 finish, as their games against Manchester City, Real Madrid, Juventus and Tottenham will all see them as underdogs.
Several other Americans are attached to teams that were included in the draw, but are unlikely to see significant, if any action in the League Phase. Apart from the aforementioned Campbell, who might see some limited sub time for Dortmund, Gabriel Slonina is still, pending a potential loan move, the third keeper for Chelsea, Benfica’s Joshua Wynder looks set for another season in their youth setup and Tim Chandler has rarely been a factor for Frankfurt for the last few seasons.
Naturally, the list of Americans in the competition could change with several days still left in the summer transfer window. Most notably, persistent rumors have linked AC Milan’s Yunus Musah to Atlanta, who are favored to advance one way or another with Chelsea and PSG being their only major roadblocks. McKennie’s Juventus future is always seemingly in the same limbo at this time of year, and with his contract expiring next summer, could always find himself in a surprise move.
The first set of games will take place during September 16-18, with the subsequent match-days stretching through late-January. The exact schedules of all the games will be released on Saturday, August 30.
Champions League – League Phase Draw
Chelsea FC (Gabriel Slonina)
Opponents: Barcelona, FC Bayern, Benfica, Atalanta, Ajax, Napoli, Pafos, Qarabağ
Borussia Dortmund (Cole Campbell)
Opponents: Inter Milan, Manchester City, Villarreal, Juventus, Bodø/Glimt, Tottenham, Athletic Bilbao, Copenhagen
Bayer Leverkusen (Malik Tillman)
Opponents: PSG, Manchester City, Villarreal, Benfica, PSV Eindhoven, Olympiacos, Newcastle United, Copenhagen
Atlético Madrid (Johnny Cardoso)
Opponents: Inter Milan, Liverpool, Eintracht Frankfurt, Arsenal, Bodø/Glimt, PSV Eindhoven, Union Saint-Gilloise, Galatasaray
Benfica (Joshua Wynder)
Opponents: Real Madrid, Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus, Napoli, Ajax, Qarabağ, Newcastle United
Juventus (Weston McKennie)
Opponents: Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Benfica, Villarreal, Sporting, Bodø/Glimt, Pafos, Monaco
Eintracht Frankfurt (Tim Chandler)
Opponents: Liverpool, Barcelona, Atalanta, Atlético Madrid, Tottenham, Napoli, Galatasaray, Qarabağ
PSV Eindhoven (Sergiño Dest, Ricardo Pepi)
Opponents: FC Bayern, Liverpool, Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli, Olympiacos, Union Saint-Gilloise, Newcastle United
Marseille (Tim Weah)
Opponents: Liverpool, Real Madrid, Atalanta, Club Brugge, Ajax, Sporting, Newcastle United, Union-Saint Gilloise
Monaco (Folarin Balogun)
Opponents: Manchester City, Real Madrid, Juventus, Club Brugge, Tottenham, Bodø/Glimt, Galatasaray, Pafos
