If Pep Guardiola is to fulfil Manchester City’s destiny and win the Champions League, he will have to one day take full advantage of his club’s continued propensity to be drawn in easy groups.
Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk, Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb and group-stage debutants Atalanta of Italy should represent little in the way of tough opposition.
It’s the third year running that City and Shakhtar have been drawn together, with the Premier League champions winning both games last season, 6-0 and 3-0. The Ukrainians caused a shock in 2017, winning 2-1, so Guardiola will take the challenge seriously, but even a fresh shock would seem unlikely to be sufficient to derail City’s progress to the knockout stages.
Dinamo made the last 16 of the Europa League last season, but were dumped out by Benfica. Atalanta will use Milan’s imposing San Siro stadium for their games, but it is unlikely even the most hostile atmosphere would faze players of City’s quality and experience.
Champions League Group C
Manchester City
Shakhtar Donetsk
Dinamo Zagreb
Atalanta
When does the group stage begin?
The Champions League group stage runs from Tuesday 17 September to Wednesday 11 December.
Match dates:
Matchday one: 17-18 September
Matchday two: 1-2 October
Matchday three: 22-23 October
Matchday four: 5-6 November
Matchday five: 26-27 November
Matchday six: 10-11 December
More on the Champions League:
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