28 August 2008

What a group in the Champions League!

It'll be a great start for Juventus in the 2008/09 edition. The draw in Monte Carlo placed the Bianconeri in Group H, where they'll be facing Real Madrid, Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg and Bate Borisov, a team from Belarus.

The Spanish side have won the Cup several times; the other two teams come from the former Soviet Union.

There's not a lot to add about Real, as they're one of the most famous clubs in the world. But also one of the most dangerous opponents and they've won the last League title in their country too. There have been several clashes with Juve, in recent times as well. And the last two times the Bianconeri were always the ones who qualified.

Of the two former Soviet teams, Zenit St. Petersburg are the most dangerous. Not only are they Russian national title-holders, but are also the UEFA Cup holders and indeed tomorrow night they'll be playing for the European Super Cup, always in Monte Carlo, against Manchester United. Juventus have never met Zenit before.

The same applies to Bate Borisov, a team that has qualified for the very first time to the Champions League. The Belarus champions are one of the great surprises in these qualifiers, as they managed to get through all three rounds, knocking out prestigious opponents such as Anderlecht and Levski Sofia.