A decent draw for Liverpool, who avoid Pot 1’s elite. Still, will be a great group for traveling supporters as all four stadiums are renowned for their atmosphere
Only a few weeks to go now until that famous music is back in our lives, and Champions League fever has hit new heights after Thursday’s group stage draw.
Two of the best strikers on the planet will return to their former clubs after massive summer transfers, as Robert Lewandowski and Barca will face his former club, Bayern Munich.
Erling Haaland, meanwhile, will also return to his old stomping grounds as a member of Manchester City, who were drawn with Borussia Dortmund.
Barca and Bayern find themselves in one of the tougher groups, with Italian giants Inter also drawn into Group C. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Paris Saint-Germain also have a fascinating draw as they’ve been paired with Juventus, Benfica and minnows Maccabi Haifa.
Check out the full draw below…
GROUP A
Team
Country
Ajax
Netherlands
Liverpool
England
Napoli
Italy
Rangers
Scotland
A decent draw for Liverpool, who avoid Pot 1’s elite. Still, will be a great group for traveling supporters as all four stadiums are renowned for their atmosphere.
GROUP B
Team
Country
Porto
Portugal
Atletico Madrid
Spain
Bayer Leverkusen
Germany
Club Brugge
Belgium
Diego Simeone and Atleti will be happy with their draw as the Spanish side should be favourites to win the group. The race for second, and third, will be interesting, though.
GROUP C
Team
Country
Bayern Munich
Germany
Barcelona
Spain
Inter
Italy
Viktoria Plzen
Czech Republic
Perhaps the draw’s most intriguing matchup, Lewandowski won’t have to wait long to return to Bayern. But don’t overlook Inter, who could certainly push for one of the top two spots in the group.
GROUP D
Team
Country
Eintracht Frankfurt
Germany
Tottenham
England
Sporting CP
Portugal
Marseille
France
Antonio Conte and Spurs will be thrilled, as they’ve been matched with the Europa League winners, Eintracht Frankfurt. All four teams will have realistic hope of advancing, though.
GROUP E
Team
Country
AC Milan
Italy
Chelsea
England
RB Salzburg
Austria
Dinamo Zagreb
Croatia
Two clear contenders in this one, as AC Milan and Chelsea will both feel find with their groupmates.
GROUP F
Team
Country
Real Madrid
Spain
RB Leipzig
Germany
Shakhtar Donetsk
Ukraine
Celtic
Scotland
Two members of the old guard collide as Celtic and Real Madrid will battle in a clash of teams with incredible history. Add in the newly-rich RB Leipzig and the story behind Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk and you have a fascinating group.
GROUP G
Team
Country
Manchester City
England
Sevilla
Spain
Borussia Dortmund
Germany
Copenhagen
Denmark
Haaland will head back to Germany almost immediately as he’ll face off with his former club, Borussia Dortmund. Sevilla, though, are always contenders, even if they are usually better suited to the Europa League.
GROUP H
Team
Country
Paris Saint-Germain
France
Juventus
Italy
Benfica
Portugal
Maccabi Haifa
Israel
Messi, Neymar, Mbappe and co. will be okay with their draw, even if it does include a powerhouse in Juve.
Form goal.com