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Easy start for Guardiola's dream project after Champions League draw

Xinhua, August 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

Bayern Munich's coach Pep Guardiola could be satisfied at the result of the draw for this season's Champions League group phase as the Spaniard starts his third year as coach of the 2015 German champions with a big, and until now unfulfilled, dream, namely to win the treble with Bayern.

The result of the draw, which took place in Monaco this Thursday evening, is likely to give the Germans a relatively easy start to the competition as their Group F contains Arsenal with the German internationals Per Mertesacker and Mesut Oezil, Olympiakos Piraeus and GNK Dynamo Zagreb.

The first two in each group advance to the knock-out stage. The 2015/2016 final will take place in the Guiseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan in Italy on May 28. The group phase will start September 16/17th.

"We're satisfied with the group. It could have been worse. We have to get through the group, no question," said Bayern defender Jerome Boateng. "London was always a lucky city for us, Piraeus and Zagreb are both never easy to go to but we want to win all of our games," he added.

Bayern's Director of Football Matthias Sammer said: "There is only one truth in football, you have to do your homework. But no doubt, we want to get to the next round. We don't need to talk about Arsenal. Arsenal and Bayern are the favorites in this group, but we have to work flat out in every game."

The record on the international stage of 2013 Champions League winner Bayern against Arsenal is positive, 4 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats in eight games. The Germans have beaten Piraeus once and against Zagreb, Bayern has only recorded a draw and a loss. All-in-all, it is an easy group for Bayern and going to the next round should be no problem.

Title-holders Barcelona will face German club Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma and the Belarus club Bate Borisov in Group E and should have no problems.

Real Madrid in Group A will take on Paris St. Germain, CSKA Moscow and Malmo FF and should go through easily. Chelsea in Group G is the favorite against Porto, Dynamo Kiev and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Manchester United is the favorite in Group B against PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow and German cup winners and league runners-up VfL Wolfsburg, who has a good chance to progress, but is about to lose Belgian striker Kevin de Bruyne who is about to join Manchester City for up to 80 million Euros.

"We got closer with ManCity," said Wolfsburg managing director Klaus Allofs. "I think today or tomorrow we can talk about this transfer."

Manchester City finds itself in the presumably toughest group of all and will play last season's Champions League finalists Juventus Turin, Sevilla and German league third-place Borussia Moenchengladbach, who is the underdog of this group and is expected to be eliminated after the group games.

No matter which club will walk off the biggest prize in the end, all the participating teams are happy about the extra income, up to 33 per cent, handed out by the European Football Union (UEFA).

The 2015/2016 champions will receive 15 million euros for winning the final with 10.5 million for the runners-up.

A victory in the round of the last 16 will now be worth 5.5 million, in the round of the last eight six million and seven million euros in the semifinal. Meaning, a club winning all its games could make up to 55 million euros plus an additional sum stemming from the marketing pool and ticket sales.

Every victory in the group phase is worth 1.5 million euros, for a draw it will be 500,000 euros. In addition every participant get 12 million euros as a starting fee.

While fans around the world are keenly awaiting for the kick off of this season's Champions League games, Thiago Alcantara has signed a new contract with Bayern Munich. The 24-year old midfielder, one of the favorite players of Bayern coach Pep Guardiola, signed a new contract until 2019.

In contrast Guardiola's future is even more uncertain after the 45-year-old Spaniard has not yet decided on his next step.

Most pundits in Germany now expect Guardiola to leave. And rumors say that Bayern is busy looking for a successor. Names like Moenchengladbach's Swiss-born coach Lucien Favre and former Real Madrid coach Mario Ancelotti are said to be on the list of candidates.

Next to the Champions League draw Lionel Messi (Barcelona) won the title of European Footballer of the Year ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) and Luis Suarez (FC Barcelona) in third.

"I'm very happy about this trophy. It's not just my trophy, the whole team has won it," said Messi. Endi