The UEFA Champions League draw has officially taken place and we now know the groups for the 32 best teams in Europe this season. When glancing through the draw, one group stands out more than the others and it's Group F which is this year's group of death. Featuring the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle, Dortmund and AC Milan, many are calling it the strongest group in Champions League history.
But who is the loser in that group? And who are the other biggest losers in the Champions League draw? What about the biggest winners? Here's a closer look at the biggest winners and losers of the Champions League draw.
The winners
The biggest winners are undoubtedly the reigning champions in Manchester City. Whether you call it champion's luck or privilege, Pep Guardiola's men have a relatively easy path to the last 16 with their group consisting of a familiar face in RB Leipzig, Crvena zvezda and Young Boys. It's hard to imagine City suffering a defeat, let alone not topping the group.
Arsenal can count themselves very lucky with the group they've got. With a group consisting of Sevilla, Lens and PSV, it's not a guaranteed cake walk, but the Gunners should expect to get at least four wins from the group and progress to the knockout stage. Considering it's their first taste of Champions League football since 2017, it'll be hard to find any Arsenal fan complaining about this group.
Inter Milan
Last season's Champions League finalists in Inter Milan are also a big winner with Group D consisting of Benfica, Salzburg and Real Sociedad. It should still be a relatively competitive group with Salzburg perhaps bearing the brunt of the defeats. But if Inter play to their potential, they really should be topping this group.
Barcelona
Barcelona usually always make it out of the group stage. That was until last season where in a group with Bayern and Inter, they finished third and had to settle for Europa League football. That shouldn't happen again as Group H sees them paired along with FC Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Antwerp. They could lose a game or even two, but Xavi's men should still be able to top the group.
Atletico Madrid have Lazio, Celtic and Feyenoord in Group E. On paper, it's a good group for Diego Simeone's men as they ideally should top it. However, games are not won on paper and as we saw last season, Atleti are capable of even finishing bottom.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid are the most successful team in Champions League history and getting out of the group stage is more or less a formality for them. The same applies this year as they're in Group C with Napoli, Braga and Union Berlin. The ties with Napoli should make for some great viewing and there's potential for the Serie A champions to defeat them not once, but twice. But that said, at the very worst, Madrid should still finish second.
The losers
Newcastle United
Newcastle United are the biggest losers of the group stage — but at the same time, they're winners as well. In what is their first taste of Champions League group stage action since 2002, the Toon are paired up with PSG, Milan and Dortmund. Of course, they are talented enough to beat all those teams. But that said, every group stage game will be intense which could affect their performances in the Premier League. In terms of making the last 16, they definitely would have preferred an easier group.
On the plus side at least, Newcastle fans can get to watch some of the very best players play at St. James Park including a certain Kylian Mbappe.
RC Lens
RC Lens were never in with a shot of advancing to the last 16, let alone winning the Champions League. But with a group consisting of Arsenal, Sevilla and PSV, they may even struggle to earn a point.
Manchester United
Manchester United are in Group A which sees them face the likes of Bayern Munich, FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray. Bayern are the biggest threat and it would be a success if Erik ten Hag's side came out with more than a point in those two games. However, Galatasaray are a talented team and could pose some problems for United. Especially with former United player Wilfried Zaha among their ranks.
Antwerp
Like Lens, Antwerp don't really harbor any real ambitions of winning the Champions League. That's because getting a single win could be a struggle and that's especially the case with their group consisting of Barcelona, Porto and Shakhtar.
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