[ad_1]
Manchester United will play Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig in the Champions League group stage, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo set to face off as Barcelona meet Juventus.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have been handed a tough draw on their return to the competition, with Turkey’s Istanbul Basaksehir the final side in their group.
Liverpool also face a difficult task, with Dutch champions Ajax and last season’s quarter-finalists Atalanta joining them in Group D along with Midtjylland.
Liverpool face Dutch champions Ajax in Group D
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, beaten in last season’s quarter-finals, have been drawn against Porto, Olympiakos and Marseille.
While Chelsea will play Europa League winners Sevilla, Russian side Krasnodar and debutants Rennes in Group E.
Chelsea’s new goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is set for an immediate reunion with Rennes
Holders Bayern Munich play Atletico Madrid in Group A, while Juventus and Barcelona meet in the blockbuster tie in Group G that sees Ronaldo face Messi for the first time since he left Real Madrid.
The draw, which also saw Real Madrid and Inter Milan paired in Group B, was switched to a behind-closed-doors event in Geneva due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
UEFA said hosting the event in its original venue in the Greek capital Athens would “violate public health restrictions and constraints regarding indoor events” in the country.
During the ceremony, Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was named Champions League men’s midfielder of the season, with Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski named UEFA men’s Player of the Year 2019-20.
Chelsea forward Pernille Harder received the women’s Player of the Year award.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are set to play each other in the group stage
Champions League draw in full
Group A: Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg, Lokomotiv Moscow
Group B: Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Borussia Monchengladbach
Group C: Porto, Manchester City, Olympiakos, Marseille
Group D: Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta, Midtjylland
Group E: Sevilla, Chelsea, Krasnodar, Rennes
Group F: Zenit Saint Petersburg, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio, Club Brugge
Group G: Juventus, Barcelona, Dynamo Kiev, Ferencvaros
Group H: Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, RB Leipzig, Istanbul Basaksehir
When does the football start?
The group stages get underway in the week of October 19, with six rounds of group games running through to mid-December.
- Matchday 1: October 20/21
- Matchday 2: October 27/28
- Matchday 3: November 3/4
- Matchday 4: November 24/25
- Matchday 5: December 1/2
- Matchday 6: December 8/9
Whoever is lucky enough to go all the way will go head to head at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul – where Liverpool beat AC Milan back in 2005 – on May 29.
[ad_2]
Source link