CL Group D: Bayern - Atlético Madrid - PSV - Rostov

[Dragonite]

Comments about the teams, predictions…

[BurningStorm]

Atletico have same problems against underdogs when they have to attack and create some chances. So I don't think they'll win all games against PSV/Rostov, while Bayern normally should (even if it's not the easiest task to win in Russia, and PSV are also good at home. And don't forget that Bayern lost at BATE in their winning season! So why not at Rostov or PSV this season? You never know). Two close games between Bayern and Atletico again? As long as Bayern win the home game, it should be enough for 1st place.

1. Bayern 15
2. Atleti 11
3. PSV 5
4. Rostov 2

[AlanK]

Atletico have same problems against underdogs when they have to attack and create some chances. So I don't think they'll win all games against PSV/Rostov, while Bayern normally should (even if it's not the easiest task to win in Russia, and PSV are also good at home. And don't forget that Bayern lost at BATE in their winning season! So why not at Rostov or PSV this season? You never know). Two close games between Bayern and Atletico again? As long as Bayern win the home game, it should be enough for 1st place.

1. Bayern 15
2. Atleti 11
3. PSV 5
4. Rostov 2

Sounds about right. Expect Atleti to get a point or two more, but still finish second. Atleti has now started to "click," as demonstrated by the 0-4 win at Celta on Saturday. Their game at PSV on Tuesday should be a good "yardstick" . . .

[bugylibicska]

For Rostov to finish 3rd the critical game will be against PSV at home and they must win it. They probably lose both games against Bayern and lose in Madrid, but I see a chance to nick a point vs. Atletico at home and maybe in Eindhoven. 4 points might be enough, but a lot depends on PSV`s home game vs. Atletico. Bayern play PSV in the 3rd and 4th round when their 1st spot not secured yet, so PSV have the same small chance to get something out of the games as about Rostov.

[Ricardo]

No doubt who will qualify to KO-round in this group.
Looking at current form Bayern seems to be better as Atletico, but that can change in the coming 2 months. I think Bayern is a better team as Atletico, but Atletico likes it when they play a big team, just like they win from Real.
Between PSV and Rostov will be the fight for 3rd. I don't think PSV will keep Atletico from scoring another 2 times. Both sides can take just a little bit more risc, as a loss is not deadly. And so Atletico will win. No, I fear PSV will have much more problems gathering points from these top-2 as they had last year. And Rostov is a difficult to determine opponent. They did great last year in Russian competition, but the first match vs. Ajax was dreadfull. And the second one was ok, but something that PSV could get a grip on. Interesting 2 matches between the 2 teams it will be. WIth the home match for PSV on the last MD. I still have some hopes....

[bermuda3eck]

Bayern 13pts
Atletico 12pts (win/draw ag.everybody )
Rostov 4pts
PSV 4pts

[Malko]

1) Atletico 2) Bayern

[og2002gr]

Having two quarter-finalists in the same group isn't fair. Having #2 and #4 of ranking isn't fair. But teams have to play what they are given by the draw.

Bayern: top 3 team, shouldn't have problem in any gorup, unless UEFA puts them with Barcelona, Real and Atletico. Chance for revenge against Atletico, or danger to deepen the bad serie.

Atletico: recently they are established as the #4 team. Ranking says so, as well as their 2 EL trophies plus 2 CL finals. And if they are the team who beat Bayern in semi-finals last season, they are also the team that struggled against PSV in last 16. They remain the big favorite to reach again (at least) quarters, but after 2 lost finals, the way usually is down rather than up.

PSV: they are here after the last MD thriller in Eredivisie. Last season they were "gifted" a Pot 1 spot but then they proved they were more than capable to justify this "gift". Now they were "gifted" another GS participation after Ajax's suicide and a full pool market again after Ajax's suicide. I think they will prove again their position by finishing over Pot4 team and maybe put some pressure into Atletico, just like last season.

Rostov: an ideal route to group stage, after drawing Anderlecht and Ajax. Now suddenly, their maiden CL participation got really tough. Not many chances for top2 spots, but their success against Ajax, can make them feel optimistic for another victory against a Dutch team.

1. Bayern 75%
2. Atletico 55%
3. PSV 40%
4. Rostov 30%

[Dragonite]

Bayern has a new coach, Carlo Ancelotti.
Carlo Ancelotti inherited a Mourinho’s Real Madrid with 3 CL semifinals in a row and in the following season won it. Now he inherited a Guardiola’s Bayern also with 3 CL semifinals in a row, will he win it too?
That’s what Bayern fans hope, we’ll see about that in a few months, right now this group shouldn’t be a problem for Bayern.

Atlético Madrid was this group’s biggest spender, with €73M in Vrsaljko, Gaitán and Gameiro, more than Bayern’s €70M in Hummels and Renato Sanches.
They eliminated Bayern in last season’s CL semis; will they now finish above them in this group?
They also had “problems” earlier with PSV though – a penalty shootout was necessary to decide who would advance.
Group stage and KO stage are different though. In groups it’s about points, in KO stages it’s about aggregate score. When they faced PSV in a CL group in 2008 they won both matches.

No time to talk about PSV and Rostov now, I’ll do it later.

Just the prediction:

1. Bayern Munich
2. Atlético Madrid
3. Rostov
4. PSV Eindhoven

[Dragonite]

PSV Eindhoven was lucky last season, avoiding real pot 1 teams in its group (#1 to #8 in UEFA’s Team Ranking)… but now they ran out of luck, and they’ll have to face two this time.
At least their other opponent is the lowest ranked team from all the CL participants.
That doesn’t mean that it will be easy for PSV – their recent results against Russian teams are bad, with five defeats in their last six matches.

Rostov had an impressive performance in the CL qualifiers, eliminating Anderlecht and Ajax.
They were very active in the last days of August, after securing their group stage ticket, signing six new players, and a new coach, Ivan Daniliants.
Their recent results against Anderlecht and Ajax should give them confidence to face at least PSV (plus PSV’s recent meetings with Russian clubs).
And their defensive tactics may also be more effective to get some point(s) from the hardest four matches than PSV’s tactics.

[og2002gr]

I expected PSV to be competitive against Atletico, but the spanish team seems like a perfect computer who safely targets on first place. Three 1-0 in three games, no matter the opponent, no matter playing home or away!
Bayern destroys their weak opponents but they lost the one that matters.
Rostov are not great nor worse than expected. They don't have a role in this group. Unless they win in Eindhoven.

1. Bayern 95%
2. Atletico 95%
3. PSV 7%
4. Rostov 3%

[Malko]

Its maybe the easiest group, cause it was known from the beginning, which 2 teams will qualify......and probably also who will win the group.

[Ricardo]

PSV was wrongfully a goal disallowed and missed a penalty vs. Atletico, so were more competitive as it seems, they also missed a penalty vs. Rostov. It was pretty clear the 2 semifinalists were the big favorites, but PSV killed their chances completely themselves. Pity. Vs. Bayern, no chance at all, but vs. Griezmann, they really had deserved more

[greenbay]

Its maybe the easiest group, cause it was known from the beginning, which 2 teams will qualify......and probably also who will win the group.

"Easy"? How can a group with two of last season's semifinalists in it be "easy"? It's maybe the group in which it was the most easy for punters to pick the qualifiers for R16. But that's different from an easy group for the teams in it. That group with Zenit, Leverkusen, Monaco and Tottenham, that's what I call easy, as there is not a single top 12 team in it....

[Malko]

"How can a group with two of last season's semifinalists in it be "easy""...because there are only 2 strong teams and 2 will quaify. the difficulty of a group must be mesured from the Pot3 and Pot 4 teams.....

"Zenit, Leverkusen, Monaco and Tottenham" no, that is more diffucult because there are more than 2 candidates for qualifying.......even 4 possible, so this is for me the mopst difficult group of all.....Paris has also an easy group , even if arsenal is maybe one of the teams of the season.....and this because of Basel and Ludogoretsk, who are no candidates for place 1 and 2.......