UEFA Champions League: Group A analysis
Key players, top signings, ones to watch and more: all you need to know about the four Group A teams in the 2023/24 group stage.
The line-up for the 2023/24 Uefa Champions League features 15 domestic title holders and 14 former European champions. Uefa.com profiled all the contenders after the group stage draw.
Group A
Bayern München (GER)
Uefa coefficient ranking: 2
How they qualified: German champions
Last season: Quarterfinals (L1-4agg v Man City)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1973/74, 1974/75, 1975/76, 2000/01, 2012/13, 2019/20)
Top Fantasy Football points-scorer last season: Leon Goretzka 50
Coach: Thomas Tuchel
Impressed with Mainz and Dortmund before leading Paris to a domestic treble and Champions League final in 2019/20. Took over at Chelsea in January 2021 and led them to victory in the Champions League final in a matter of months. Returned to Germany with Bayern in March this year and steered them home in the title race.
Key player: Jamal Musiala
The 20-year-old has established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet with performances displaying a maturity beyond his years, not least when scoring the late winner that sealed another Bundesliga title on the final day. A delightful dribbler, a productive playmaker and an efficient goalscorer, ‘Magic Musiala’ has more than a few shades of a young Lionel Messi.
Big summer signing: Harry Kane
The England captain established himself as one of the best forwards in the world during his time with boyhood club Tottenham and is their all-time top scorer with 280 goals in all competitions. Twenty-one of those came in the Champions League for the north Londoners, and Kane will be keen to add plenty more to that tally at Bayern, though his incredible range of passing and strong link-up play means he offers plenty more than just goals.
One to watch: Mathys Tel
The youngest player on our 2023 list of prospects, Tel was the youngest player ever to represent Rennes – a record he took from Eduardo Camavinga. At 17, the forward became Bayern’s youngest goalscorer in a competitive match.
2022/23 season
Bayern made it three group campaigns with maximum points in four years, an impressive feat given Barcelona and Inter were in their section, but they could not halt the Man City juggernaut in the last eight. A shock German Cup defeat against Freiburg, also in the quarterfinals, threatened to leave them without silverware, only for Tuchel’s men to snatch the Bundesliga title from Dortmund in the final minutes of a thrilling final day.
Did you know?
Eleven teams have made it through the group stage with the full 18 points but Bayern are the only club to do so on three occasions.
Manchester United (ENG)
Uefa coefficient ranking: 7
How they qualified: Third in England
Last season: Europa League quarterfinals
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1967/68, 1998/99, 2007/08)
Coach: Erik ten Hag
The Dutch coach ended the Red Devils’ six-year wait for a trophy by lifting the League Cup in his first season in charge. He guided Ajax to the league and cup double in 2018/19 and 2020/21, and only missed out on an appearance in the 2019 Champions League final after a last-gasp semifinal defeat to Tottenham.
Key player: Marcus Rashford
After registering just five times in 2021/22, the England forward struck 30 goals across all competitions for his boyhood club last term, his best season tally in a United shirt. The 25-year-old has struggled with injury problems in the past but is now playing some of the best football of his career under Ten Hag’s stewardship.
Big summer signing: Mason Mount
Named by Chelsea supporters as the club’s player of the year in 2020/21 and 2021/22, Mount also helped Chelsea overcome Man City in the 2021 Champions League final. The England international missed the final three months of last season with a pelvic injury but will hope to add fresh impetus to the Red Devils’ midfield in the coming campaign.
One to watch: Alejandro Garnacho
The 19-year-old wide man, whose dribbling ability has drawn comparisons with former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, made an impact from the United bench several times last season, including winning goals in Premier League and Europa League games. Another touted in Uefa.com’s 2023 prospects.
2022/23 season
United’s Europa League campaign appeared destined for glory until Sevilla’s magic saw off the Red Devils in the quarterfinals, but Ten Hag’s side had more luck in domestic cup competitions, winning the English League Cup and only falling at the final hurdle to rivals City in the FA Cup. Returned to the top four in the Premier League, underpinned by some stunning home form.
Did you know?
Since the start of the 2006/07 season, United have topped their Champions League group in nine of their 13 appearances.
Copenhagen (DEN)
Uefa coefficient ranking: 44
How they qualified: Danish champions, play-off winners (W2-1agg v Raków)
Last season: Group stage (fourth place)
Best European Cup performance: Round of 16 (1993/94, 2010/11)
Top Fantasy Football points-scorer last season: Viktor Claessen 22
Coach: Jacob Neestrup
Born in Copenhagen, he came through the club’s youth system before injuries hindered his playing career. Neestrup switched to coaching, taking charge of his hometown club’s U17 team, before being handed the Viborg top job. He returned to Copenhagen as assistant to manager Jess Thorup’s, before taking the reins in 2022 to lead them to the double, aged just 35.
Key player: Viktor Claesson
Earning nearly 70 caps for Sweden over the past 11 years, the midfielder played important roles for Elfsborg and Krasnodar before joining Copenhagen last season. In a successful first full campaign at Parken, the 31-year-old scored a career high of 17 goals across all competitions.
Big summer signing: Mohamed Elyounoussi
A regular scorer for his previous club’s Sarpsborg, Molde, Basle and Celtic, he signed for Copenhagen on a free transfer in July, following Southampton’s relegation from the English Premier League. The 29-year-old’s directness and industry backs up his goal threat.
One to watch: Elias Jelert
The right-back has only recently turned 20, but made 26 league appearances last term in his breakout season. A diligent defender, he is confident with the ball at his feet and not afraid to play out from the back.
2022/23 season
The domestic double ensured Copenhagen equalled the record for Danish league titles and domestic cup successes. Both trophies were hard-fought, though, with Neestrup’s men only climbing to the summit with three games remaining and edging AaB in the cup final. They draw their three Champions League group stage home games against Sevilla, Man City and Dortmund but lost all three away.
Did you know?
This is the first time that Copenhagen have made it to the group stage in consecutive seasons.
Galatasaray (TUR)
Uefa coefficient ranking: 55
How they qualified: Turkish champions, play-off winners (W5-3agg v Molde)
Last season: Not in European competition
Best European Cup performance: Semifinals (1988/89)
Coach: Okan Buruk
Scooped several league and cup trophies, plus the 2000 Uefa Cup, during a decorated playing career with Galatasaray and won 56 caps for Turkey. Silverware has followed him as a coach, too, as he led Akhisarspor to the Turkish Cup and Istanbul Basaksehir to Super League success before repeating that feat at Galatasaray last term.
Key player: Mauro Icardi
Scored 23 goals in 26 games in all competitions while on loan last season and made the switch permanent from Paris in the summer. The 30-year-old forward, who made his name as a prolific striker with Inter, is equally clinical with his head, strong and possesses great movement.
Big summer signing: Hakim Ziyech
Has a Champions League winners’ medal from his time at Chelsea but it was during Ajax’s run to the 2018/19 semifinals that he showed his best form in the competition. Now 30, the Moroccan, like Icardi, is blessed with flair and the ability to add spectacular goals to his supply of assists.
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One to watch: Victor Nelsson
Impressed for Nordsjælland and Copenhagen in his home country, breaking into the Danish national team as a result. The imposing 24-year-old is now in his third season at Galatasaray and has been a rock at the heart of their defence due to his reading of the game and physicality.
2022/23 season
Finished eight points clear in the title race as they topped the Turkish championship for the first time since 2018/19, though Istanbul Basaksehir ended their double dreams in the quarterfinals. Though prolific going forwards, their league success was underpinned by a miserly defence with only 27 goals conceded.
Did you know?
Galatasaray last made the round of 16 in 2013/14 and have failed to make it out of their group in the last four attempts.