Mbappe & Salah in Champions League Team of the Group Stages

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 2 Nov 2022 22:26 GMT
• 7 min read

The Champions League has been great this season and some stars have stood out for their respective teams, propelling them to qualification.

From Napoli’s brilliance to Bayern Munich’s dominance, certain sides have been at their very best to create an entertaining affair, and a few players in those sides have excelled.

So, which players make the Champions League team of the group stage?

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Diogo Costa – Porto

Diogo Costa has been Portugal’s best goalkeeper for a year. The Porto shot-stopper has been brilliant in the Champions League in a tough group. If Porto are to thank anyone for their progression, it has to be their goalkeeper.

He saved three penalties in the group stages and also provided one assist for the winner against Bayer Leverkusen, showing he is not only Portugal’s best goalkeeper, but one of the most well-rounded anywhere in world football. He’s only 23 and he’s emerging as one of the finest in Europe.

Reece James – Chelsea

Reece James is now out with injury, but he made vital contributions to Chelsea in the Champions League to rescue their campaign. They started with a defeat against Dinamo Zagreb that got Thomas Tuchel sacked, but since then, he has starred under Graham Potter.

He put in a solid display in matches against Red Bull Salzburg and Milan and has spurred his side on to progression from the group stage. He should be back by then and will be hoping to have a solid World Cup with England before the start of the knockout rounds.

Kim Min-jae – Napoli

Kim Min-jae joined from Fenerbahce to replace Kalidou Koulibaly and has done excellently. Min-jae has been a rock at the back and has helped Napoli make a seamless transition following the departure of the Senegalese defender.

His composure at the back has helped keen Liverpool and Ajax quiet and his physicality makes him hard to beat, as forwards found out this season. Napoli recruited wonderfully in the summer to replace departed players, and Min-jae is one of the signings of the season, showing his class in the Champions League.

Benjamin Pavard – Bayern Munich

There are plenty of rumours circulating around Benjamin Pavard’s future at Bayern Munich but he’s still maintaining his consistency for the club in the Champions League. Playing at centre-back as Noussair Mazraoui takes the right, he has contributed to one of the tournament’s best defenses thus far.

In addition to that, he has also scored two goals, showing that he’s capable of contributing on both ends of the pitch. Perhaps, these Champions League displays have reminded Bayern of his talents and they may want to keep hold of him for a while.

Joao Cancelo – Manchester City

Joao Cancelo is so good that he’s been great in two positions and has now adopted left-back as his own. Not only is he confident defensively, offensively, he provides a big threat going forward and with a forward as good as Erling Haaland to aim at, he’s become better.

He starred in Manchester City’s win over Borussia Dortmund, providing an assist for Haaland, and has bagged four in all, with some coming from right-back too. City are one of the favourites to win the competition, and they need Cancelo firing for it.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa – Napoli

Many remember Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa for his failed stint at Fulham, but he’s become a different player since, and has been one of Napoli’s finest performers. He contributed heavily to their Champions League progression, playing immensely in matches against Liverpool and Ajax.

His one goal and three assists spurred Napoli on to qualification and will continue to be a mainstay in the Napoli midfield as Luciano Spalletti builds his team around the Cameroon star.

Jude Bellingham – Borussia Dortmund

Jude Bellingham has got the whole of Europe watching him, and he’s unfazed by the pressure, showing that with his Champions League performances so far this season. In a complex group, helped Borussia Dortmund secure qualification to the next round of the competition.

He scored in the first four matches consecutively, becoming the first-ever English player to do so in the competition, and that has only helped his stock rise. Bellingham isn’t going to become one of the world’s finest midfielders. He’s already at that level.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 11, 2022

Rafa Silva – Benfica

Many were shocked when Rafa Silva decided to call time on his Portugal career and judging by his performances for Benfica in the Champions League, it’s easy to see why. He’s a midfielder full of quality and has contributed to his team’s progression.

Juventus got the worst of him as the Portuguese scored twice against them to get the Italians knocked out on Matchday Five, and in a team of emerging stars, the experience of Silva has been key in the Benfica midfield.

Mohamed Salah – Liverpool

Things aren’t going entirely well for Liverpool and Mohamed Salah in the Premier League, but in Europe, they are showing some good signs. Despite a tough start following a 4-1 defeat to Napoli, Salah has risen to become the tournament’s top scorer with seven.

He scored a hat-trick against Rangers at Ibrox, and followed that up with important goals against Ajax and Napoli to secure progression. If Liverpool are to go far in the competition, they need Salah’s goals – his record in the competition since joining is excellent.

Kylian Mbappe – PSG

Questions are always raised around Kylian Mbappe’s Paris Saint-Germain future but he does his talking on the pitch, proving that in the Champions League this season. He scored seven goals – netting in all but one of the group stage matches.

In the opening match against Juventus, he was brilliant, netting twice, and he also provided two assists in the win over Maccabi Haifa at home. Maybe, with PSG finally having a coherent side under Christophe Galtier, this could be their year in Europe.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Napoli

Napoli have been sensational this season both domestically and in Europe and a name on the lips of fans across Europe is that of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He’s often compared to Diego Maradona by fans for his drive and ability to entertain, and in his short time at Napoli so far, he is a hero.

In his Champions League debut for the club, he starred against Liverpool in their famous 4-1, and he bettered that performance with his displays against Ajax, both home and away. Napoli won their Champions League group and are sitting top of Serie A, and Kvaratskhelia is responsible for a lot of that.