Introduction
The dust has settled over the 2020 UEFA Champions League (UCL) draw. Chelsea FC could have faced steep competition such as Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Inter, Juventus, PSG, and Atalanta. Chelsea could have played some classic matches against these opponents but could have been against the odds to qualify for the knockout stages. I can already imagine a classic match between Chelsea and former-Blues manager Antonio Conte and his Inter squad, or Chelsea facing Bayern again, looking to redeem themselves after the humiliating 7-1 aggregate defeat in this same competition last season. Drawing Real Madrid would have meant the return of Eden Hazard to Stamford Bridge, and perhaps would have represented a possible final time that Eden Hazard plays on the Stamford Bridge pitch.
The draw has not always been kind to Chelsea as last season they were grouped with Lille, Valencia, and Ajax and required the final group stage match to secure qualification into the round of 16. This year, the draw, fortunately, went much better than it could have, with Chelsea drawn into a group with Sevilla, Krasnodar, and Rennes.
Although the draw went in favor of Chelsea by avoiding some of the biggest clubs in Europe, there will still be challenges posed by each club. There are hardly ever poor teams in the UCL.
Sevilla
Sevilla finished 4th in LaLiga during the 2019/2020 league campaign, won the UEFA Europa League, but was eliminated in the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey. Sevilla was a resolute team who stunned Inter in the Europa League final, and en route to their title, displayed some positive, attacking play. Sevilla even finished level on points with Atletico Madrid, with each obtaining 70 points in LaLiga. Within LaLiga, Sevilla lost both matches to Real Madrid by 1 goal and fought for a draw in both matches to Atletico Madrid. Sevilla did not fair as well against Barcelona, as they lost the first match 4-0, but was able to turn it around in the repeat fixture by limiting mighty Messi and Barcelona to a 0-0 draw. Sevilla also played Valencia – who Chelsea also faced twice in 2019 – and drew 0-0 in the first match, but won the return fixture 1-0.
Sevilla is no stranger to winning the Europa League, and once again they were dominant in their 2019/2020 Europa League campaign. They topped their group with 15 points and only dropped points in a 1-0 loss to APOEL.
In the knockout phases, Sevilla eliminated CFR Cluj on road goals and then re-started their campaign after the lockdown by defeating Roma 2-0. Sevilla then defeated Wolves 1-0, Manchester United 2-1, and won the UEL title by defeating Antonio Conte’s Inter squad 3-2.
Sevilla ended 2019/2020 on a massive winning streak in the Europa League and rightfully added new players to build upon their success, such as Oscar Rodriguez, Marcos Acuna, and Ivan Rakitic. However, Sevilla also lost GK Sergio Rico, Ever Banega, and Sergio Reguilon. Overall, the squad is likely going to be about the same as 2019/2020, and Sevilla will present stiff competition to this Chelsea squad.
Rennes
Rennes finished 3rd in Ligue 1 in 2019/2020, yet it is important to remember that Ligue 1 did not complete the full season, and instead ended the league campaign for all clubs after lockdown measures were taken to combat the pandemic. Rennes obtained 50 points from a possible 84 points in Ligue 1, reached the semi-finals of the Coupe de France, were eliminated in the round of 16 of the Coupe de la Ligue and were eliminated from the group stage of the Europa League.
Within Ligue 1, Rennes faced tougher opponents like PSG, Lille, Marseille, Monaco, and Nice. In their only match against PSG, Rennes won 2-1 and took all three points from the Parisians. Rennes played a 1-1 draw in their first match with Lille and then lost the return fixture by 1 goal. Rennes had similar results against Marseille by finishing level at 1-1 in the first match but losing the return fixture by 1 goal. Again, Rennes faced Nice twice, and lost the first match 2-1 and drew 1-1 in the second fixture. Rennes lost 3-2 to Monaco but did beat Lyon 1-0, and many may remember Lyon made it all the way to the Champions League Semi-Finals in 2019/2020.
Rennes had a lousy Europa League campaign as they finished last in their group with Celtic, CFR Cluj, and Lazio. Rennes were a far margin from qualifying for the knockout rounds by finishing with 4 points, which left them 8 points behind 2nd place CFR Cluj.
Rennes sanctioned the sale of key player and goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy, as all Chelsea fans are aware of. What Chelsea fans may not be aware of is that Rennes also lost RW Armand Lauriente, LB Souleyman Doumbia, and LW Lucas Da Cunha, but the club also purchased CF Serhou Guriassy, LW Martin Terrier, GK Alfred Gomis, and CB Nayef Aguerd. Rennes will likely be a highly similar, if not worse club, after their arrivals and departures in the 2020 summer transfer window. They’ll be hoping to be considered a quiet dark horse in this season’s UCL.
Krasnodar
The least familiar of opponents from the UCL group stage draw is undoubtedly Krasnodar. This mysterious opponent finished 3rd in the 2019/2020 Russian Premier League. This campaign saw Krasnodar obtain a 1-1 draw with Zenit, but also a 4-2 loss in the second fixture between these two sides. Krasnodar also faced Lokomotiv Moscow twice and drew 1-1 in both matches. In Krasnodar’s two matches against CSKA Moscow, they lost the first game 3-2 and drew 1-1 in the second match. Against Spartak Moscow, they won both matches by a combined goal difference of +2.
Krasnodar was eliminated in the Round of 32 of the Russian Cup by losing 1-0 to Nizhny Novgorod, but they also participated in European matches. Krasnodar started their 2019/2020 European campaign by facing Porto in the Champions League qualifying rounds and won on road goals to advance and faced off against Olympiacos. However, this matchup did not fair well, and Krasnodar lost 6-1 on aggregate, which dropped them into the Europa League.
Krasnodar failed to advance from the Europa League group stage, as they finished 3rd behind Basel and Getafe, and only missed qualification for the knockout rounds by 3 points. However, it would be hard to argue that Krasnodar deserved to advance, as they lost 5-0 to Basel, 2-1 to Getafe, and again lost to Getafe by 3 goals in the return fixture.
Summary
Although the UCL group stage draw went favorably for Chelsea, it will still require maximum effort to advance to the knockout stages, as there simply is no such thing as an easy match in the Champions League. However, I do expect this Chelsea squad to give 100% effort, and I expect to see them top Group E with 13 points. I think the club will lose in the away match to Sevilla and will earn a frustrating draw from their trip to Krasnodar. Otherwise, I would feel comfortable predicting a win in all other group stage matches. No matter where Chelsea finish in the group, I think club and fans alike are looking to see a deeper run in the Champions League than we have seen since 2014. Chelsea has failed to advance past the Round of 16 since the 2013/2014 UCL campaign that saw them lost to Atletico in the semi-finals, and this year seems like the prime time for that record to change. Keep The Blue Flag Flying High into the Champions League this season!
Written by Travis Flock @Crossroads_CFC
Edited by Jai Mcintosh @jjmcintosh5