There isn't a dominant team in Group H, and there isn't a weak one either.
Porto was arguably the weakest team in Pot 1 so wherever they landed wasn't going to be the Group of Death, but it could still be a tough group if it landed one of the biggest Pot 2 or Pot 3 teams. It didn't, but it also has three legitimately good teams and a fourth that isn't as bad as some of the others in this tournament. Group H has depth, and that should make for dramatic football on every matchday.
Topping the group - FC Porto
Porto didn't end up in Pot 1 by accident. They may not be a powerhouse like Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, but they're a consistently strong club and they got some good fortune, being drawn into a Group H that lacks a monster team. There aren't any terrible teams in this group so Porto will be challenged regularly, but nobody else has Jackson Martinez. He has led the Primeira Liga in scoring in consecutive seasons and should be too much for anyone else to handle.
Sitting second - Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao already showed their quality in beating Napoli to get to the group stage, and while that's hardly proof of a great team, Group H won't ask them to be great. Ernesto Valverde has stabilized the club and the team plays very disciplined down. Combine that with the skill of Iker Muniain, Markel Susaeta and Aritz Aduriz, then toss in the new San Mames, which should be rocking, and you have a team that can pick up enough points to get out of the group.
Heading for Europa League - Shakhtar Donetsk
It's tough for anyone to figure out what Shakhtar Donetsk will bring to the table this season. They probably don't even know. Conflict in the Ukraine, and especially in their city, has left the club in total flux. They had to move the team's operating to Lyiv, and that is also where they will play their matches, while earlier this summer players threatened not to enter the country, let alone play. There's still talent at Shakhtar, like Alex Teixeira, Douglas Costa, Fred and Luiz Adriano, but it's tough to imagine that club being near their best with everything going on around them.
Finishing last - BATE Borisov
BATE are the only team from Belarus to ever qualify for the Champions League group stage and they have done it five times since 2008 now. They've shown their quality time and time again, but they have also shown that they aren't quite good enough to compete on this level. Last time they were in the competition two years ago, they finished third in their group, and the year before that last. They could impact the group, taking some points off the other three teams, but the odds on them advancing are rather long.
from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1tOJjpt
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