Who makes our best XI of the Champions League group stage?

This season’s Champions League saw thrills and spills such as Manchester United losing to Young Boys but most of the teams expected to make it through booked places in the last 16. Some surprising stars emerged over the last couple of months, though, so here is the best XI of the group stage of this season’s  Champions League.

 

Best XI of the Champions League Group Stage

 

Edouard Mendy (Chelsea)

Chelsea’s superb defensive record means it is hard to look beyond Mendy in goal. The Blues shut out Juventus twice in Group H, wrapping up qualification with plenty of time to spare.

Mendy has been unusually error-prone in the Premier League of late but the goalkeeper has been virtually faultless in the Champions League this season, conceding once in five games.

 

Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)

City were also through the Champions League group stage with a game to spare, with Cancelo among the top performers in Group A, which Pep Guardiola’s men topped despite losing a couple of games.

Portugal defender Cancelo has developed into a key player for Guardiola due to his versatility, with two goals and three assists from his five appearances in the group stage.

 

Milan Skriniar (Inter)

Inter qualified behind Real Madrid in Group D, with Skriniar contributing to a solid defensive record for the Serie A side.

Skriniar recorded 1.7 tackles per game in the group stage, along with an average of 1.7 clearances per game and 1.5 blocks per game.

 

Daley Blind (Ajax)

Ajax were the star side of the Champions League group stage with a perfect six wins out of six in Group C.

The Dutch outfit conceded just five times in their six matches and veteran defender Blind played a key role in their solidity at the back under their in-demand coach Erik ten Hag.

 

Angelino (RB Leipzig)

Leipzig are heading for the Europa League after finishing third behind City and Paris Saint-Germain, but Angelino’s three assists from left-back earn him a spot in our side.

 

Pote (Sporting)

The first midfielder to make the cut is Pote, who only started three group games for Sporting but chipped in with four goals and an assist to put his name on the radar of Europe’s elite.

Pote hit doubles at home to both Borussia Dortmund and Besiktas which helped the Portuguese side to secure second place in Group C.

 

Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

Pote’s compatriot Fernandes, who joined United from Sporting, also had a superb Champions League group stage.

No player recorded more than Fernandes’ haul of five assists, with the playmaker creating a goal in each of United’s first five matches in Group F, which they topped with a game to spare.

 

Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)

There is no doubt Nkunku was one of the surprise stars of the Champions League group stage, scoring seven goals for Leipzig including a hat-trick in a 6-3 defeat to group winners Manchester City.

Nkunku also struck three goals across two games against Club Brugge and the 24-year-old is likely to be a transfer target for huge clubs across Europe thanks to his displays this year.

 

Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)

Staying in Germany, Sane was in stunning form during the group stage as Bayern ran riot in Group E, contributing both a goal and an assist in three straight appearances.

Sane’s pace has always made him a dangerous threat but the former City attacker looks to have added a more consistent end product to his game with Bayern this season.

He ended the group stage with five goals and four assists – a very impressive total haul.

 

Sebastien Haller (Ajax)

Haller had never played in the Champions League before this season, but the target man took to the competition like a duck to water.

The 27-year-old hit four on his debut in the competition against Sporting and his hot form hardly dipped during the group stage, netting in every Group C match. That means he made history as the first man to score in his first six Champions League games.

Haller also chipped in with a couple of assists in Ajax’s 4-0 demolition of Borussia Dortmund and he will be the Dutch side’s main threat in the last 16.

 

Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

Taking on Haller for the Golden Boot is Lewandowski, who continues to pile up the goals.

The Bayern hitman kicked off the Champions League group stage with doubles against Barcelona and Dynamo Kyiv before taking home the match ball with a treble against Benfica.

If Lewandowski can maintain his Champions League form into the knockout rounds – he scored nine in Group E – it might prove impossible to overlook him for the Ballon d’Or again next year.

 

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