UEFA Champions League Midway Report: Groups E – H

Group G:

Chelsea and Schalke 04 were supposed to whip the floor with this group, but of the four groups that have played to the halfway point this one is perhaps the most open in terms of point totals. Yes, Chelsea and Schalke 04 lead the group, but it hasn’t been all that easy.

The two giants tied 1-1 at Stamford Bridge on matchday 1, a result that was equaled by Maribor and Sporting that same day. Ever since then its been hard to get a read on this group and that’s because for every Schalke-Maribor tie, there’s a 6-0 Chelsea win over that same club.

One of the most difficult teams to figure out has been Sporting, who has played well enough to only have a -2 goal differential yet have just one point to show for it to date. Sporting have lost by one goal to both the favorites in the group, and a second crack against them could easily go the other way.

Standings:

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Predicted Finish:

1. Chelsea – 11 points
2. Schalke 04 – 10 points
3. Sporting Lisbon – 8 points
4. NK Maribor – 2 points

What we saw on matchday 3 was the difference between Chelsea and the rest of this group, as they finally put a beatdown on the board with its 6-0 win over NK Maribor. Its next meeting is at Maribor and as long as it is more of the same, Chelsea is going to be able to put itself in the drivers seat.

However, a look at the mess that has been this group and the schedule remaining for Sporting and don’t be surprised if they rise up the table to make things very interesting for Schalke. Sporting takes on the German club at home after a 4-3 loss on the road in matchday 3, while also hosting Maribor. Win both of those contests and that means seven points in the group heading in to a final group stage match that is likely to mean little to Chelsea outside of seeding.

Look for this group to be the most crazy of them all in the final half of the group stage.

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About Andrew Coppens

Andy is a contributor to The Comeback as well as Publisher of Big Ten site talking10. He also is a member of the FWAA and has been covering college sports since 2011. Andy is an avid soccer fan and runs the Celtic FC site The Celtic Bhoys. If he's not writing about sports, you can find him enjoying them in front of the TV with a good beer!

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