Group A: the lowdown
Monday, September 2, 2019
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What is each club's pedigree? Who are their key players, new faces and ones to watch? UEFA.com has all the answers.
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Paris Saint-Germain
UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2018/19): 8
How they qualified: French champions
European Cup best: semi-finals (1995)
Last season: round of 16 (lost on away goals, 3-3 on aggregate, to Manchester United)
Group stage last season: Group C winners – W3 D2 L1 F17 A9 (v Liverpool, Napoli, Crvena zvezda)
Major transfers
In: Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Pablo Sarabia (Sevilla), Ander Herrera (Manchester United), Abdou Diallo (Dortmund)
Out: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Dani Alves (released, São Paulo), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus)
Coach: Thomas Tuchel
Ended his playing career early due to injury and was employed in the youth sections at Stuttgart and Augsburg before being given the top job at Mainz in 2009. Was appointed Jürgen Klopp's successor at Borussia Dortmund in 2015, leading the club to the German Cup prior to his 2017 departure. Took charge at Paris last summer and won Ligue 1 in his first campaign.
Key player: Kylian Mbappé
Scored an astonishing 33 goals in 29 league games last season as well as four in this competition off the back of FIFA World Cup glory with France. The UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year and top goalscorer is still only 20 and appears to be improving every season.
One to watch: Thilo Kehrer
The 22-year-old defender had an encouraging first season at the club following his move from Schalke, making 34 appearances in all competitions. Paris have lost plenty of experience with Gianluigi Buffon and Dani Alves moving on this summer and the German is in pole position to step up and cement his place in the side.
Real Madrid
UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2018/19): 1
How they qualified: third in Spanish Liga
European Cup best: winners x13 (most recently 2018)
Last season: round of 16 (lost 5-3 on aggregate to Ajax)
Group stage last season: Group G winners – W4 D0 L2 F12 A5 (v Roma, Viktoria Plzeň, CSKA Moskva)
Major transfers
In: Éder Militão (Porto), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Ferland Mendy (Lyon), Luka Jović (Eintracht)
Out: Dani Ceballos (Arsenal, loan), Mateo Kovačić (Chelsea), Marcos Llorente (Atlético Madrid)
Coach: Zinédine Zidane
One of the game's greats, Zidane was a World Cup and UEFA European Championship winner with France before his sensational strike gave Real Madrid their ninth European title in 2002. He spent two seasons coaching the Merengues' B team before stepping into the top job. Three consecutive UEFA Champions League successes cemented his name in the club's folklore and he returned for a second spell in charge less than ten months after bowing out following the 2018 final.
Key player: Eden Hazard
A 'Galáctico' signing from Chelsea in the summer, Hazard will be key to the rebuilding project that Zidane has taken on in his second spell at the helm. A brilliant dribbler, creator and goalscorer, the Belgium schemer was central to Chelsea's two Premier League titles in the last five years and was the star of last season's UEFA Europa League final.
One to watch: Vinícius Júnior
Real Madrid paid a reported €46m to sign the Brazilian wonderkid from Flamengo on his 18th birthday. Blessed with explosive pace, quick feet and an eye for goal, Vinícius became the first ever Madrid player born after the year 2000 to play for the senior side and made 18 Liga appearances last season.
Club Brugge
UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2018/19): 37
How they qualified: runners-up in Belgian league, play-off winners (beat LASK Linz 3-1 on aggregate)
European Cup best: runners-up (1978)
Last season: group stage (third place), #UEL round of 32
Group stage last season: third in Group A – W1 D3 L2 F6 A5 (v Dortmund, Atlético Madrid, Monaco)
Major transfers
In: Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Simon Deli (Slavia Praha), Federico Ricca (Málaga)
Out: Wesley (Aston Villa), Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld (Bournemouth), Stefano Denswil (Bologna)
Coach: Philippe Clement
Played for Beerschot, Genk and Coventry City before spending a decade at Club Brugge. Capped 38 times by Belgium, he was twice assistant and caretaker at his current club before taking the top job at Waasland-Beveren in 2017. Quickly moved on to Genk, where he won the title last season, before returning to his spiritual home this summer.
Key player: Hans Vanaken
The 27-year-old towering attacking midfielder has reached double figures for goals for eight successive seasons in all competitions. A career-high 17 came in his 50 club appearances last season, including two at Monaco in the group stage, while he has also broken into the top-class Belgian national team.
One to watch: David Okereke
Turned 22 on the day of the group stage draw. The Nigerian striker scored ten goals for Spezia in Serie B last season and has hit the ground running at his new club – striking four times in his first three league games this term.
Galatasaray
UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2018/19): 68
How they qualified: Turkish champions
European Cup best: semi-finals (1989)
Last season: group stage (third place), #UEL round of 32
Group stage last season: third in Group D – W1 D1 L4 F5 A8 (v Porto, Schalke, Lokomotiv Moskva)
Major transfers
In: Ryan Babel (Fulham), Jean Michaël Seri (Fulham, loan), Emre Mor (Celta Vigo, loan), Steven Nzonzi (Roma, loan)
Out: Eren Derdiyok (Göztepe), Sinan Gümüş (Genoa), Fernando (Sevilla), Kostas Mitroglou (PSV Eindhoven, loan)
Coach: Fatih Terim
A central defender, Terim represented Galatasaray for over a decade and played 51 games for Turkey. Began his coaching career with Ankaragücü and Göztepe before entering the national set-up, first at Under-21 level then the Turkey national side. Won the 2000 UEFA Cup in the first of his four spells at Galatasaray and has now claimed eight Turkish titles at the club.
Key player: Sofiane Feghouli
The 29-year-old midfielder has been a creator and goalscorer since moving from West Ham in summer 2017. Scored 12 goals in league and cup as Galatasaray won both competitions last season.
One to watch: Yunus Akgün
A two-footed winger or forward with good first touch and vision, the 19-year-old almost joined Anderlecht in the winter and has since been linked with Lazio.
Did you know?
- Paris are in the group stage for the 12th season – and the eighth in a row.
- Real Madrid got the better of Paris in 2015/16 (group stage) and 2017/18 (round of 16) en route to lifting the trophy.
- Club Brugge's only previous games with Real Madrid were a 2-0 aggregate defeat of the Spanish side in the 1976/77 European Cup second round.
- Galatasaray beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the 2000 UEFA Super Cup but shipped ten goals against the eventual champions (1-6 h, 4-1 a) in their most recent fixtures, in the 2013/14 group stage.
- All four previous matches between Paris and Galatasaray have been won by the home side.