There were undoubtedly bumps along the way: Los Che was forced into a do-or-die mission as early as Matchday 3 against Rangers, Barca had to overcome a poor away record - and Rubin again - while Madrid had a near-collapse at Milan. Now, we look back at the highlights and the struggles of all three sides in the six matchdays of the group phase.
VALENCIA| Group C | P | W | D | L | F | A | PTS |
| Runner-up | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 4 | 11 |
Back in Europe’s blue ribbon club competition for the first time since 2007, Los Che could not have kicked off the tournament in a better way, blitzing Bursaspor 4-0 while closest rivals Manchester United were held to a goalless draw at Rangers. Confidence was running high as they welcomed United to the Mestalla on Matchday 2. Unai Emery’s men controlled the contest, they looked the better side, created more goalscoring chances, but lost 1-0. That was the catalyst for their sudden dip in form in La Liga and in Europe, and they consequently struggled at Rangers and were fortunate to escape with a 1-1 draw.
But a hard-fought 3-0 victory over the Scots in the return clash reinvigorated the side, before they went on to put another six past Bursaspor. Back in form, winning at Old Trafford and topping the group became a realistic target and for 30 minutes of the match, they were indeed leading the group after Joaquin gave them the lead. Still, a draw against a side who have yet to lose a game in any competition this season is a remarkable result, and a morale-boost heading into the last-16.
