Borussia Dortmund Draw Sporting Lisbon, Ajax, and Besiktas in the Champions League Group Stage

The results of the Champions League Draw are in! There are plenty of exciting matches to go around, but as always, us BVB fans are most interested in who Borussia Dortmund will be playing. Let’s get into it:

From pot 1, BVB will face Sporting Lisbon, the champions of Portugal. While Sporting are a decent squad who have gotten off to a perfect 3-0 start in their domestic league, they were arguably the weakest possible opponent BVB could have drawn.

From pot 3, Dortmund will face Ajax of Amsterdam. The perennial Dutch juggernauts have a tendency to perform well in the Champions League. Only three seasons ago, they came within spitting distance of the final before falling to Tottenham Hotspur. They were arguably one of the toughest teams from pot 3 that BVB could have drawn.

From pot 4, Dortmund will face Besiktas of the Turkish Super Lig. Besiktas managed to win their domestic league by the skin of their teeth last season, beating Galatasaray on goal difference to win the league. It’s hard to judge how Besiktas would have stacked up to the rest of pot 4. At least they aren’t AC Milan.

Here are the full results of the draw:

All in all, it’s hard to argue that BVB didn’t make out like absolute bandits with this draw. They avoided any of the giants like Manchester City or Chelsea. They should be heavy favorites to win the group.

Putting Dortmund aside, there are definitely going to be some interesting matchups. Group A, without a doubt, deserves the moniker of this season’s “Group of Death.” Manchester City and PSG have both dumped piles of cash into their squads this year. If City do end up signing Cristiano Ronaldo, then it could also give us a rematch between him and Lionel Messi — a last hurrah for the best player rivalry of our generation.

Group E also has Barcelona facing Bayern Munich. A key storyline will be whether the Catalans can recover a bit of pride after their historic 8-2 hiding a in 2020.

Group B could be tough, as both Liverpool, Atletico, and AC Milan are easily capable of advancing. Group G could be interesting as well. While none of the competition’s strongest clubs are in it, the four clubs selected are probably fairly close in terms of parity, so it could end up being a real dogfight.

Your Thoughts

What do you think of BVB’s draw? Which matchups are you most excited for this group stage? Let us know your thoughts below.