Champions League Group H: fixtures, dates, predictions, how to watch | OneFootball

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The return of the greatest of tournament in European football is right around the corner.

The 2023/24 Champions League begins on the week commencing the 18th of September. There are some mouth watering ties to look forward to. Group A hosts the rematch of one of the greatest finals in Champions League history as Manchester United and Bayern Munich go head-to-head.

Other groups see Real Madrid drawn with Italian champions Napoli and Arsenal's return to the Europe's top flight sees them matched up with Europa League winners Sevilla. Madrid's top domestic rivals have born drawn in group H along with another former European champion.

Let's have a look at what this group has in store.

Who is in Group H?

Barcelona are the top seed in Group H. The Spanish champions didn't have a great time last season, being knocked out in the group stage.

With Robert Lewandowski leading the line alongside new signings João Félix and Ilkay Gundogan, the latter of whom won the competition last season, Xavi's men will be hoping they don't end up getting relegated in the Europa League this season.

Barcelona are joined in the group by FC Porto. Sergio Conceicao's team finished runners-up in Liga Nos, finish two points behind Benfica. They will be hoping to upset the odds and finish one place higher in this group. Fans of Porto will be happy that the club were able to retain the services of Diogo Costa despite speculation of his departure throughout the summer.

Iranian attacker Mehdi Taremi top scored with 31 goals in all competition last season, including five in 7 games in the Champions League. A similar contribution may help Porto finish top of the group.

Shakthar Donetsk are the third team in the group and are possibly flying under the radar. The Ukranian champions have established themselves as the dominant domestic power, winning their league title six out of the last seven seasons.

Having last tasted European success in 2009 in the form of a UEFA cup victory, fans will be dreaming of a magical run in the competition, especially given the ongoing politcial situation in the country.

The final team in the group comes from Belgium, and it is a moment of history for Antwerp. Having last qualified for the competition back in 1957, it is the first time the Belgian's have competed in the Champions League since it was renamed.

Their third place league finish was enough to see the make the qualifying rounds of the competition. There, they overcame Greek side AEK Athens 3-1 on aggregate.

With only five league titles in their history, Antwerp are by far the least successful side in this group. However, the opportunity for the players to play in stadiums such as the Nou Camp will create memories they are not likely to forget.

How have the teams done previously?

Barcelona have found the most success in this competition throughout their history. Their four triumphs in the competition have all come after 2000, with their first occurring in a dramatic 2-1 victory over Arsenal in 2006.

With their most reason win coming almost a decade ago, the Catalonian's will be hoping to end their baron streak in the competition. Securing the trophy will mean that it will be in the first time in the club's history that they will have won the competition without Lionel Messi. Porto are the only other team in the group to have won the competition before, winning it twice in their history.

The Portuguese sides first success came all the way back in 1987, however it is the more recent victory in 2004 that is most memorable.

Led by a young Jose Mourinho, Porto were the unlikely winners of the competition. It was a fascinating run, which included the Portuguese manager sprinting down the touchline as his team scored a dramatic goal at Old Trafford to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Mourinho's men went on to win the final comprehensively in a 3-0 thrashing of Monaco.

Shakthar and Antwerp have yet to taste Champions League glory. The Ukranian's have managed to find some European success however, after they won the 2009 UEFA cup in extra time against Werder Bremen. There has been no such silverware in Antwerp's history and most people would assume it would take a miracle for that to change this year.

How to watch?

The Champions League will be exclusively shown throughout the 2023/2024 season on TNT Sports. In order to watch the Champions League in the U.K. you will need to have a TNT Sports subscription. A subscription to TNT Sports costs £29.99 a month.

When are the games?

Each team will face each other twice in the group stage, totaling to six games. The full list of fixtures for the group stage take place between the 19th September and the 13th of December. Group H will begin on the 19th of September when Barcelona host Antwerp. Meanwhile, Porto travel to Shakthar. The reverse fixtures will take place during the final game week, occurring on the 13th December.

Full List of Fixtures:

All fixtures, dates and kick off times are accurate based on UEFA listings.

Predictions

According to Paddy Power via BettingOdds.com, Barcelona are the odds on favourites to win the group, coming in at 3/10. This naturally makes them the favourites to progress, with odds of 1/20. Regarding the rest of the group, paddy Power have selected Porto as the next favourites to qualify from the group, with odds of 1/3. Meanwhile, Shakthar and Antwerp have been given slimmer chances of qualifying from the group, with odds 7/2 and 4/1 respectively.