Club Brugge is there for the third year in a row in the group stage of the Champions League, although this time it did not have to complete qualifying matches.
With Dortmund, Club meets an old acquaintance. Not only did it often encounter the German club in the (even recent) past, but with Thomas Meunier it also encountered an ex-player. Last year, Club also met Meunier, who then still played for PSG.
The other two teams in Club Brugge’s group are Zenit, a fixture in the group stage of the Champions League, and Lazio, which will meet Club Brugge for the first time.
In the other groups, there is not really one group that stands out, but it should be Group H, which with PSG and Leipzig has two semi-finalists from last year, along with Manchester United and Basaksehir.
It is also remarkable that Messi and Ronaldo meet for the first time in the group stage. In group B we get a Belgian duel with Inter (Lukaku / Nainggolan) and Real Madrid (Courtois / Hazard).
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“This is less sexy than last year, but they are all challenges”, coach Philippe Clement summarizes the draw at Club TV. “They are all great teams, but also clubs with a higher budget.”
How does Clement estimate Club’s chances? “If you make it to the Europa League, you have already performed very well. But we aim for the highest possible, do not want to overcharge.”
That is also the mentality of captain Ruud Vormer. “You want to say that you want to go for the 2nd place, but if you make it to the Europa League (3rd) that is also good.”
“It will be nice competitions again and we will do our best again, just like last season. We will be there.”
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