
UCL Group stage XI
The Champions League group stages got wrapped up last week, and the draw for the Round of 16 happened twice due to some technical issues. When the draw happened for the second time, some changes occurred in the teams facing. The matches will occur in February and March next year. Soccer betting in the Round of 16 will be tight as the match results will be most unpredictable this season.
Now let’s look at the best XI of the group stages of the Champions League:
Formation: 4-4-2
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer
The German Keeper still proved that he is one of the best keepers at the age of 35. He played all six matches in the group stages and kept four clean sheets. In that two were against FC Barcelona. He made 11 saves in total, and 1.84 average saves per game.
Right-back: Trent Alexander Arnold
Trent is establishing himself as the best right-back in the world right now. Under Jurgen Klopp, he cemented his name in that position. He only played three matches in the group stages. But that was enough for him to contribute to the team very well. In three games, he had three assists and made recovered the ball 12 times.
Left-back: Joao Cancelo
The Portuguese full-back’s versatility makes him best in any position he plays. He is naturally a right-back. But under Pep. he plays in the role of a left-back too. On matchday 4, he assisted three goals.
Centre-backs: Andreas Christensen
The Danish defender is shining consistently for both his country and the club. In five games, the Danish defender helped keep three clean sheets. He led the way for balls recovered (33), and tackles won (5) for Chelsea.
Lisandro Martinez
Martinez was one of the best defenders of the group stage matches. The Argentine made ten tackles in six matches and recovered 41 balls.
Midfielders: Leroy Sane
Apart from Lewandowski, Sane was the best player for Bayern Munich. In six matches, he scored five goals and had four assists.
Bruno Fernandes
He is having a tough season in the Premier League. But his performance in UCL was impressive. In the five matches that he played, he registered seven assists.
Tony Kroos
The 31-year-old German midfielder was the engine for Real Madrid to connect the attacking players. He had a passing accuracy of 92.2% and scored two goals.
Antony
The Brazilian scored two goals and registered five assists for Ajax in the group stages.
Attackers: Robert Lewandowski
He is the best player of Bayern this season. He is the second top scorer in UCL with nine goals from six matches and two assists.
Sebastian Haller
Haller scored ten goals in the group stages on his debut UCL season, and he is currently this season’s top scorer in UCL.