TSG’s possible Champions League opponents

Alexander Rosen, director of football at TSG, is excited ahead of the draw despite the big names Hoffenheim could face. “We are not playing down how much we are looking forward to this. European football is a reward, not a burden. We wanted to get here, gave everything to try and reach that for a year and now we are looking forward to it. Of course we respect our opponents going into this challenge but I have huge confidence in the coaching staff, in our team and the whole club.”

The opposition at a glance

Liverpool

The club

It has been a long time since Liverpool won one of football’s biggest prizes. The domestic dominance from Manchester and London has proved too strong for the Reds during the Premier League era. Nothing has changed as of yet since former TSG forward Roberto Firmino and coach Jürgen Klopp joined the club. Nevertheless, the team from Anfield Road, whose fans sing “You’ll never walk alone” before every home game, are giants of English and European football. Their list of accolades includes 18 domestic titles, five European Cups, two of which came in the Champions League and three in the UEFA Cup. Liverpool are European heavyweights with a huge history, and would undoubtedly prove a tough test.

Star players

Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Adam Lallana

The 16/17 season

Jürgen Klopp’s side secured a fourth-place finish in the Premier League last season. 76 points from 38 games averages out at two points per match. This is by no means a bad record, but there is still a long way to go if the club wants to challenge for the title. Tottenham finished the season on 86 and yet still found themselves in second place behind Chelsea, who ran away with the title on 93 points. Liverpool were knocked out of the FA Cup in the fourth round after a shock 2-1 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers at home. The club did not compete in Europe during the 2015/16 season.

Sevilla

The club

Three sides dominate in Spain – Real Madrid, Athletico Madrid and FC Barcelona. Then comes Sevilla. The club from Andalusia stepped up another level last year, above all on the European stage. They lifted the Europa League in 2014, 2015 and 2016 under coach Unai Emery, before his successes in southern Spain led him to move to Paris Saint-Germain. Sevilla have been plying their trade in Spain’s top flight since 2001 and have never finished lower than ninth in that period.

Star players

Sergio Rico, Steven N’Zonzi, Ever Banega, Nolito, Jesus Navas

The 16/17 season

Sevilla secured fourth spot in La Liga last season and with that became accepted as Spain’s fourth biggest club. They were unable to make it past the last eight in the Copa del Rey, going out to Real Madrid. Sevilla reached the knockout stages of the Champions League in impressive fashion, getting out of a group that included Juventus, Dynamo Zagreb and Olympique Lyonnais. However they fell victim to the 2016 Premier League champions, Leicester City, whose fairytale continued as they knocked out the Spanish club to reach the quarter-finals.

SSC Napoli

The club

SSC Napoli are practically an institution in the south of Italy. The club, who play their home games at the Stadio San Paolo, continue to compete with the major clubs from the north (Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan) year in year out. They last lifted a trophy in the 2013/14 season after triumphing in the Coppa Italia. The “Azzurri” had their greatest years in the 80s, when they won Serie A twice and are inextricably linked to one name in particular, Diego Maradona. The Argentine superstar was with Napoli for seven years and dominated like no player ever before. Maradona is the highest goalscorer in the club’s history with 115 goals to his name.

Star players

Kalidou Koulibaly, Allan, Marek Hamsik, Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens

The 16/17 season

Marek Hamsik has developed into a superstar since joining Napoli in 2007. He has scored 113 goals so far and is now within touching reach of Maradona’s record. The Slovakian international will surely break this record in the coming season and be crowned the club’s ultimate top scorer. He found the target on twelve occasions last season as the team secured a third-placed finish. The forward also provided eleven assists. Napoli reached the Coppa Italia semi-final but were knocked out by Juventus over two legs. Real Madrid also proved too much for them in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

CSKA Moscow

The club

The last seven titles in Russia have all been won by CSKA, Spartak Moscow or Zenit St. Petersburg. CSKA won the league in 2013, 2014 and 2016. The club last won the Russian Cup back in 2013 to complete the double. Furthermore they have been champions of Russia on seven occasions since its foundation in 1911 and won the cup five times.

Star players

Igor Akinfeev, Alan Dzagoev, Mario Fernandes

The 16/17 season

CSKA finished the 2016/17 season in second place in the Russian league, a good seven points behind eventual winners Spartak. Zenit took third place. CSKA also started last season in the Champions League but failed to get out of a group containing AS Monaco, Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham Hotspur, finishing in last place with just one victory. They were knocked out of the Russian Cup in the fifth round against Enisey Krasnoyarsk.

Sporting Lisbon

The club

Sporting are one of Portugal’s top three clubs alongside FC Porto and city rivals Benfica. They have won the title 22 times, and won the cup on 16 occasions. However Sporting have been waiting for a league win since 2002, unable to compete with the dominance of Benfica and Porto. That is certainly not enough for a club that has had the likes of Luis Figo, Nani, Ricardo Quaresma and of course Cristiano Ronaldo wearing their jersey. The Real Madrid superstar and four-time Ballon d’Or winner learnt his trade at Sporting before Alex Ferguson brought him to Manchester United.

Star players

Rui Patricio, Fabio Coentrao, William Carvalho, Adrien Silva, Bas Dost

The 16/17 season

Sporting could only manage a third-placed finish last season, unsurprisingly behind Benfica and FC Porto and twelve points adrift of their city rivals. Sporting were also unable to lift the cup, going out to GD Chaves in the quarter-final. The team’s fate in the Champions League was also the same as CSKA, out in the group stages and finishing in last place.