Champions League draw, Group G: Mourinho set for reunion with Porto

by
Reuters

Chelsea and its manager Jose Mourinho find both new and old faces in Group G of the Champions League.

Porto, Dynamo Kyiv, and Maccabi Tel-Aviv join the 2012 winners in one of Thursday's easier draws.

Chelsea has never played Kyiv or Tel-Aviv in any previous European competition. The London club last played Porto in the group stage in 2009 and won both games 1-0, but that was without Mourinho as manager.

For the first time in the Champions League, the "Special One" returns to Porto, where he rose to fame and won the 2004 Champions League title.

Mourinho will also face his former goalkeeper, Iker Casillas. Mourinho famously dropped Casillas from his starting position, which the Spanish 'keeper never truly recovered. Mourinho even started reserve goalkeeper Antonio Adan ahead of Casillas, who eventually left Madrid for Porto this summer.

Kyiv is back in the group stage after winning the Ukrainian league title. The club spent the past two seasons in the Europa League. The last time Kiev went past the group stage was 1999, losing to Bayern Munich in the semifinal.

The experience itself is an award for Tel-Aviv, which beat Basel in the Champions League play-off to reach the group stage for the first time in 11 years. Former Chelsea midfielder Slavisa Jokanovic, who played for the Blues between 2000 and 2002, coaches the club.

Tel-Aviv is the first Israeli team to make it this far since its local rival Hapoel Tel Aviv advanced to the group stage in 2010.

Chelsea has secured passage to the knockout stage in 11 of the past 12 seasons. It missed out during its title defence in 2012-13 after finishing behind Juventus and Shakhtar Donetsk in Group E. The Blues went on to win the Europa League.

Predicted finish

1. Chelsea
2. Porto
3. Dynamo Kyiv
4. Maccabi Tel-Aviv

The Digest

Champions League Preview: Group breakdowns, predictions and more

by
Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters

Welcome to theScore's collection of 2015-16 Champions League preview content, where you'll find everything you need to know about what should be another thrilling campaign in Europe's showpiece competition.

Detailed group breakdowns, predictions, and a bevy of other pieces that will have you more than prepared for the 2015-16 edition of the Champions League; it's all here.

Tournament Preview

Individual Group Breakdowns

Favourites, underdogs, and everything else you need to know about each section.

Is there even the slightest chance that either of the two behemoths occupying this group will falter and crash out early?

Can the Red Devils maneuver a group that is sneakily one of the trickiest in the competition?

Benfica or Galatasaray: Who will join Atletico Madrid in the knockout stage?

Manchester City. Juventus. Sevilla. Borussia Monchengladbach. Oh my. Chalk, or can Sevilla and Monchengladbach flip the script on their talent-laden counterparts?

Are we about to witness the first steps of a historic Champions League title defense?

Can Arsenal actually finish top of its Champions League group, or will the big red Bayern machine steamroll everything in its path?

Will Chelsea's horrid Premier League form translate into a shocking exit in Europe?

Be honest, are you even going to watch any of this group's matches?

Listicles

Betting Preview

In our betting preview, you'll find odds from various sportsbooks on the likelihood of each team advancing to the knockout stage. theScore's Gino Bottero, Gianluca Nesci, Carlo Campo, Armen Bedakian and Anthony Lopopolo examine the bets that can beef up your wallet.

Other Preview Content

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