Part 2 of the Champions League predictions are up next. With Groups E through H already played on Tuesday it’s time to find out how Groups A through D will do.
Groups A-D will kick off on Wednesday evening across Europe. First up in my predictions, Malmö FF vs. Atletico Madrid:
Group A:
8:45 p.m. CET (11:45 AM PST) @ Swedbank Stadion, Malmo, Sweden
We have seen Atlético Madrid struggle in both La Liga and the Champions League this season. With no Diego Costa, David Villa or Felipe Luis anymore, Mario Mandžukić, Antoine Griezmann and Raul Jimenez have replaced the departed players. So far, Atlético has one win and one loss in the Champions League. Malmö, making their first appearance in the Champions League, also has a win thus far (against Olympiacos), and is showing potential.
Final Score: Atlético Madrid 2-1 Malmö
8:45 PM CET (11:45 a.m. PST) @ Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy
Juventus is the other team in the Serie A that is fighting for first place with Roma and seem to be doing great in the Champions League. With Arturo Vidal, Carlos Tevez, Andrea Pirlo and goalkeeper Gigi Buffon, they can give Olympiacos hell on Wednesday when they meet up. Olympiacos has also seen some success in the Champions League, making it to the Round of 16 last season. With Dutch player Ibrahim Afellay and striker Kostas they have a chance to at least tie the game against Juventus.
Final Score: Juventus 2-2 Olympiacos
Group B:
8:45 PM CET (11:45 a.m. PST) @ St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland
First a 5-1 loss to Real Madrid and then a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool. Who knows what FC Basel can do tomorrow against Ludogorets. With striker Giovanni Sio and midfielder Taulant Xhaka and Serey Die, they can do their best to hand PFC Ludogorets their third loss. PFC Ludogorets has shown potential and that they can do some damage in the Champions League. They gave Real Madrid a fight on match day 2 and to Liverpool as well but they won’t be strong enough to beat Basel. I see FC Basel taking the three points here.
Final Score: FC Basel 3-1 Ludogorets
8:45 PM CET (11:45 a.m. PST) @ Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Real Madrid has looked phenomenal after losing two straight to Real Sociedad and Atlético Madrid early in the season. With seven straight wins in La Liga and the Champions League, they hope to continue that on Wednesday versus Liverpool. Liverpool has seemed to struggle since losing Luis Suarez. They are not doing so well in the Premier League, lost to FC Basel in match day two of the Champions League, and Mario Balotelli has not made the anticipated impact yet.
Final Score: Real Madrid 3-2 Liverpool
Group C:
6:00 PM CET (09:00 a.m. PST) @ Stadion Petrovski, St. Petersburg, Russia
Zenit has experienced European success before, winning the-then UEFA Cup back in 2007 and advancing to the round of 16 in both the Champions League and the Europa League the past five years,. They will be facing Leverkusen, who are currently 6th in the Bundesligal. Having defeated Monaco, they have a chance against Zenit but it should be an equal game.
Final Score: FC Zenit 1-1 Leverkusen
8:45 PM CET (11:45 a.m. PST) @ Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Lisbon, Portugal
Benfica continues to be winless in the group table and Monaco seems to be doing well, even after losing James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao. With four points to lead the group, they are a good pick to take the three points.
Final Score: AS Monaco 2-0 Benfica
Group D:
8:45 PM CET (11:45 a.m. PST) @ Emirates Stadium, London, England
Arsenal has been consistent in the Champions League, making it to the Round of 16 six times in the past 10 years, including a run to the final in 2005, where they lost to Barcelona. They have had an up-and-down start this season, losing to Dortmund on match day 1 and outscoring Galatasaray 4-1 on match day 2. Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez will be the two men to watch for.
Final Score: Arsenal 4-0 RSC Anderlecht
8:45 PM CET (11:45 a.m. PST) @ Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany
Borussia Dortmund has struggled in the Bundesliga, currently standing in the bottom half of the table, but had no trouble defeating Arsenal and Anderlecht without conceding any goals. Both teams lost great strikers this past summer, with Didier Drogba leaving the Turkish team and Robert Lewandowski leaving Dortmund. With their league struggles in mind, the Champions League may be Dortmund’s best chance at success this season.
Final Score: Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Galatasaray