Champions League, Europa League & Europa Conference League Group Stage Recap

The group stage of UEFA’s three club competitions is now complete and teams across Europe are looking forward to the knockout phase of the competitions next year.

Read on as we recap the opening phase of the 2023/24 Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.

Champions League

Bayern Munich finished top of Group A with five wins and one draw, leaving second-placed FC Copenhagen eight points behind.

They are one of the bookmakers’ favourites to go all the way this season, but they’ll need to significantly improve on their group stage performances to bolster their chances.

Galatasaray secured a slot in the Europa League knockout play-off round, while Manchester United were eliminated from the continental scene.

Arsenal swatted aside their Group B competitors, finishing top of the group with 13 points, four ahead of runners-up PSV Eindhoven.

The Gunners have announced their Champions League re-emergence in emphatic fashion, but with odds of 8.00, they’ll need to upset the apple cart to seal an unlikely triumph.

Real Madrid took Group C by storm, winning each of their six games in another dominant campaign, while Napoli finished second with ten points.

Los Blancos are perennial contenders for the title. At odds of 6.50 odds the 14-time champions will fancy another crack at the European holy grail.

Despite being level on points and tied in the head-to-head record, Real Sociedad pipped Inter Milan to progress as Group D winners, with Benfica finishing third and Red Bull Salzburg eliminated.

Borussia Dortmund exceeded expectations in the so-called group of death, clinching a top-of-the-table finish ahead of Paris Saint-Germain.

AC Milan’s last-gasp win over Newcastle United earned them a place in the Europa League and condemned the Magpies to the bottom of the group.

Atletico Madrid’s unbeaten streak propelled them to the top of Group E, with Lazio joining the Spaniards in the knockout stage as runners-up.

Champions League holders Manchester City surged to the top of Group G, winning all six games, with RB Leipzig emerging in second place.

The Premier League champions have been tipped at 3.00 odds to clinch a historic back-to-back triumph in the Champions League, and you wouldn’t put it past them to go all the way again.

Australian defender Milos Degenek watched from the sidelines as Red Star Belgrade were condemned to a third consecutive bottom-place finish while Young Boys sealed a Europa League place.

After back-to-back group stage eliminations, Barcelona secured a place in the last 16 as Group H winners, with Porto progressing as runners-up.

Europa League

West Ham United’s 2-0 victory over SC Freiburg in the final matchday secured their status as Group A winners, with the Bundesliga side finishing as runners-up.

Brighton & Hove Albion and Olympique Marseille went head-to-head in the final group game, with the Seagulls emerging as 1-0 winners to seal a place in the knockout stage as Group B winners.

Rangers and Slavia Prague progressed from Group C, while Atalanta progressed from Group D as winners, with Portuguese leaders Sporting CP finishing as runners-up.

Liverpool are bookmakers’ Europa League title favourites at odds of 3.25. They progressed to the latter phase, winning four of their six group-stage games to finish top of Group E.

Hungarian international Dominic Szoboszlai barely featured in the group phase but the 23-year-old will be crucial to Liverpool’s continental aspirations this season.

Australian midfielder Denis Genreau played a bit-part role in helping Toulouse advance to the knockout phase as Group E runners-up, making four continental appearances.

The best sports betting sites in Australia will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on Genreau and Toulouse as they progress through the tournament.

However, their odds of 67.00 suggest their chances of lifting the prestigious trophy is nothing more than a far-fetched dream.

Villarreal and Stade Rennais played out a thrilling spectacle in the final Group F clash with the Spanish side emerging 3-2 winners to advance as group winners.

Rennes were denied a late goal by VAR but they’ll be heading into the knockout phase as runners-up after taking 12 points from six games.

Slavia Prague ousted Italian giants AS Roma to finish as Group G winners while Bayer Leverkusen blitzed through the group phase, winning all six games to secure a top-seeded slot in the last 16 draw.

Leverkusen’s dominant group stage campaign has only reinforced their status as contenders for the title and their odds of 6.50 to go all the way would entice savvy punters.

Europa Conference League

Hungarian giants Ferencvarosi TC punched their ticket to the knockout phase of the Europa Conference League, finishing second in Group F, two points adrift of Serie A side Fiorentina.

Lille and Slovan Liberec progressed from Group A while Israeli giants Maccabi Tel Aviv advanced to the latter phase as Group B winners, beating runners-up KAA Gent by two points.

Viktoria Plzen won all six of their group games, sending a message to the rest of the competition even though they have an outside chance of success in the tournament with 26.00 odds.

They finished nine points ahead of runners-up Dinamo Zagreb and will fancy their chances of a deep run in the competition.

Club Brugge, Bodo Glimt, Aston Villa, Legia Warsaw, PAOK, Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahce and Ludogorets are the other sides through to the Europa Conference League knockout phase.