#UCLDRAW
2019/20 Champions League groups set; Van Dijk, Messi among UEFA Awards winners
Aug 29, 2019, 2:24 pm
Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus are among the contenders for the UEFA Champions League trophy. Credit: Adidas
The eight groups for the 2019/20 edition of the UEFA Champions League have been announced following Thursday's draw in Monaco. Teams will face each other home and away over the course of four months with the two group winners advancing to the Round of 16 stage in February.
The 2020 UEFA Champions League Final will take place on May 30 at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.
The official result of the 2019/20 #UCLdraw! 😍 3⃣ toughest groups are __ __ & __ 🤔 https://t.co/c7Xdro1vhn— #UCLdraw (@#UCLdraw) 1567098115.0
Group A: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray
Group B: Bayern München, Tottenham Hotspur, Olympiacos, Crvena zvezda
Group C: Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb, Atalanta
Group D: Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lokomotiv Moskva
Group E: Liverpool, Napoli, Salzburg, Genk
Group F: Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Internazionale Milano, Slavia Praha
Group G: Zenit, Benfica, Lyon, RB Leipzig
Group H: Chelsea, Ajax, Valencia, LOSC Lille
UEFA Awards winners
🥇 #UEFAawards winners! 🥇 Is there a 2020 #UCL winner here? 🤔 https://t.co/S64K0Z8QdB— #UCLdraw (@#UCLdraw) 1567101537.0
A build up to the draw the announcement of the award winners for the previous season. Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and Alisson, champions after a win over Tottenham Hotspur in this past June, were among those taking home personal honors.
Men's Player of the Year - Virgil van Dijk
Forward of the Season - Leo Messi
Midfielder of the Season - Frenkie de Jong
Defender of the Season - Virgil van Dijk
Goalkeeper of the Season - Alisson Becker
Sights and sounds
Part of the glamour of the draw is how much of a star-studded affair it becomes, the highlight of this year's edition being the reunion of rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo: "We've not had dinner together yet, but I hope in the future!" 😃 @Cristiano & Messi at the #UCLdraw 🤜🤛 https://t.co/KOFY8680tU— #UCLdraw (@#UCLdraw) 1567102531.0
Of course, both were flown in via a private helicopter.
🚁 Player of the Year nominee Cristiano Ronaldo has landed in Monaco! 😎 #UEFAawards announced during the #UCLdraw 🔜 https://t.co/td633acvnO— #UCLdraw (@#UCLdraw) 1567093389.0
🚁Leo Messi has landed! #UCLdraw | #UEFAawards https://t.co/TOgXkGp2bx— #UCLdraw (@#UCLdraw) 1567087889.0
The "group of death" may be fitting for Group F where Barcelona, Dortmund and Inter Milan all have cases to advance as top of the group. Czech side Slavia Prague is, without question, the weakest link of the group and their staff know their odds to advance are small.
No te rías... No te rías... No te rías... ¡Nos tocó contra el Barça, Inter y Dortmund! 😭😭😭 https://t.co/STQAfSk2sx— TUDN USA (@TUDN USA) 1567098461.0
Manchester United Legend Eric Cantona was present to receive the President's Award, though you wouldn't guess it was him if you saw him walking down the street.
Eric Cantona has just won the 2019 UEFA President’s Award and accepted it with a speech that rivals the seagulls fo… https://t.co/Vbk9Vs2wrZ— MUNDIAL (@MUNDIAL) 1567096009.0
The UEFA Champions League group stage begins on September 17 and will be broadcast in the United States through the TNT / B/R Live in English and Univision / TUDN in Spanish.
Sunday night matchups don't get much exciting than this, as the Houston Texans host the Detroit Lions in prime-time at NRG.
The Lions come into this game on a six-game winning streak looking every bit of the best team in football. Houston on the other hand has lost two of their last three games with a struggling offense unable to protect their quarterback.
CJ Stroud has only one passing touchdown over this span, and is clearly having trouble adjusting to life without Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins.
If Houston is going to come away with an upset victory, they will need big performances from Tank Dell and Joe Mixon. After catching 4 passes against the Colts two weeks ago, Mixon not only failed to catch a single pass against the Jets, but he wasn't even targeted.
Considering the Texans' offensive line issues, choosing not to use Mixon as a pass catcher is hard to fathom. Especially since he and Dell are the team's top 2 playmakers.
What's working in the Texans' favor?
They play this game at home, where they are undefeated this season. A lot of the team's protection issues have popped up on the road, so communication should be easier for the offense on their home turf.
Bulls on Parade
We have good news and bad news about the defense this week. On the positive side, Azeez Al-Shaair and Jimmy Ward have returned to practice. If they're able to contribute on Sunday night, that would give the defense a lift.
And now for the bad news. Will Anderson has yet to practice this week after rolling his ankle in the Jets game. If he is unable to practice on Friday, it's hard to imagine he'll be active against Detroit.
X-factors
The Texans have to show some improvement on the offensive line this week.
Houston must lean on Joe Mixon again, as Nico Collins isn't expected to play.
Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best receivers in the league, and he does most of his damage from the slot. If the Texans continue to deploy Jalen Pitre against premier receivers in man coverage, St. Brown is going to light up the scoreboard.
What would a win over the Lions mean to Houston?
The Texans are no longer considered a true championship contender because of their losses to the Packers, Vikings, and Jets. In fact, the Bills are the only team with a winning record that the Texans have beaten.
An upset win over the streaking Lions would change that narrative.
What does Vegas think?
The Lions are currently favored by 3.5 and the total is set at 49 points.
Don't miss the full preview of Texans-Lions in the video above!
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