Bayern Munich will attempt to defend its Champions League trophy in 2013-14 and will start off with a relatively unique Group D. Here are the teams that the defending champions will face off against and how the four sides stack up against one another.
Bayern Munich
How they got here: Bayern Munich qualified for the Champions League as the defending champion.
Performance in last year's competition: Munich could not have dreamt of a better outcome during last year's competition. The team was dealt into a group that included Valencia, BATE Borisov and Lille. Munich started its tournament off with a 2-1 win over Valencia before being shocked by BATE Borisov in a 3-1 loss. The team bounced back with a 1-0 win over Lille on the road and then turned on the jets with a 6-1 win in the second game against the French squad. Afterward, Munich tied Valencia 1-1 before taking down Borisov 4-1 in the second match. In the round of 16, Munich drew Arsenal. In the opening leg in London, Munich ran away with a 3-1 win. Then the team lost 2-0 at home in stunning fashion. Fortunately the away goals did more than enough to get them through and the team took on Juventus in the quarterfinals. A pair of 2-0 wins got the team through where it faced Barcelona in a hotly anticipated semifinal. However, Munich dispatched the Spanish champs with relative ease and won 7-0 on aggregate. In the final, Munich took on Borussia Dortmund and won 2-1 thanks to a late Arjen Robben goal.
This year's expectations: With Pep Guardiola at the helm, expectations for Munich are as high as ever. The team is just as good if not better then it was a year ago and should be the first team to repeat since AC Milan pulled off the feat in 1989-90.
CSKA Moscow
How they got here: CSKA Moscow qualified for the tournament after winning the top spot in the Russian League during the 2012-13 season.
Performance in last year's competition: CSKA Moscow did not qualify for the 2012-13 version of the Champions League. The team did compete in 2011-12 and managed to get out of the group stage. However, Moscow was eliminated in the round of 16 by a potent Real Madrid side.
This year's expectations: The team should compete for one of the top two spots in the group, but a deep run is not expected.
Manchester City
How they got here: Manchester City finished second in the English Premier League during the 2012-13 season.
Performance in last year's competition: City was seeded into the Group of Death in 2012-13 and had to contend with the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Ajax Amsterdam. The team got off to a woeful start when it lost 3-2 against Real Madrid despite holding a 2-1 lead with five minutes to go in the game. In the second match, City managed a tying goal against Dortmund and settled for a 1-1 final. However, the wheels started to come off when the team took on Ajax Amsterdam. A 3-1 loss to the Dutch side was followed up by a 2-2 draw at home; City was down 2-0 by the time the 17th minute rolled around in that second game. A 1-1 draw with Madrid at home did little to help the team's aspirations and a 1-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund in the final game of the group stage sealed their fate.
This year's expectations: For the first time in years Manchester City is not in the Group of Death. The team knows that it must take the next step at some point to be considered among the elite and will undoubtedly be looking for second place in the group.
Viktoria Plzen
How they got here: The Czech team started its arduous quest for a Champions League berth with a two-legged playoff against Bosnian club Zeljeznicar. The team managed a 4-3 win in the opening leg and followed it up with a 2-1 victory in the rematch. In the following round, Plzen was drawn into a matchup against Estonian club Nomme Kalju. The Czech side cruised through this round with a 4-0 win in the opening leg and a 6-2 victory in the second. In the final playoff round, Plzen was forced to take on Slovenian club Maribor. Plzen took the first game 3-1 and followed it with a 1-0 victory to clinch a Champions League berth.
Performance in last year's competition: Viktoria Plzen did not compete in the 2012-13 Champions League.
This year's expectations: The team is happy to be here and will be content to earn a few points along the way. A third place finish may not be out of the realm of possibility but it will be hard with CSKA Moscow and Manchester City standing in the way.
Prediction: Munich is undoubtedly the favorite here and should win nearly every game in the group. The battle for second will likely come down to Manchester City and Moscow. Here is how it all plays out.
1. Bayern Munich: 5 wins, 1 draw, 16 points
2. Manchester City: 3 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses, 11 points
3. CSKA Moscow: 2 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses, 7 points
4. Viktoria Plzen: 1 draw, 5 losses, 1 point
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