Summary of the Champions League group stage draw
Fate smiled upon Manchester United and defending champions Chelsea in the Champions League group stage draw, while Manchester City once again found themselves in a "group of death" alongside Real Madrid, Ajax, and Borussia Dortmund.
According to the draw results, Chelsea will be in Group E along with Juventus, Shakhtar Donetsk, and the Danish team Nordsjaelland, who are making their debut in the competition. Of these, the reigning Serie A champions will naturally be the biggest opponent for Roberto Di Matteo's team, even though this is Juve's first return to the Champions League since the 2009-2010 season.
"Facing Chelsea is a huge challenge," said Juve coach Antonio Conte, who is serving a 10-month touchline ban for his involvement in the 'Calcioscommesse' scandal.
However, Conte also showed respect for the Ukrainian champions and was wary of the Danish team's physical condition.
Meanwhile, despite being drawn into a relatively easy Group H with Braga (Portugal), Galatasaray (Türkiye), and Cluj (Romania), manager Alex Ferguson cannot afford to be complacent, because last year MU was also in an easy group with Benfica, FC Basel, and Otelul Gelati, but ultimately failed to advance from the group stage.
“We have experience playing against Galatasaray, and we really miss the ‘Welcome to Hell’ banners on their pitch,” Sir Alex said on manutd.com.
Former football star George Weah at the draw ceremony in Nyon, Switzerland (Source: AFP)
“We’ve never played Cluj before, but last year we made some silly mistakes against their compatriots Gelati,” Sir Alex continued. “If we want to progress, we have to play our best.”
This is the 18th consecutive year that MU has participated in the group stage of the Champions League, and Sir Alex does not want that record to be tarnished if MU is eliminated.
Meanwhile, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini is genuinely worried about once again being drawn into the "group of death," Group D, which includes the champions of England, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Last year, Man City failed to advance from the group stage after being drawn into a tough group with Bayern Munich and Napoli. Therefore, center-back Joleon Lescott expressed his opinion on Twitter: “Group D explains why this tournament is called the tournament of champions.”
England and Spain are the only two footballing nations with four representatives in the group stage. The final representative from the Premier League is Arsenal, who are in Group B with Schalke, Olympiakos, and Montpellier, with the French champions making their first appearance in this competition.
Another team making its debut is Malaga, in Group C alongside Zenit Saint Petersburg, Anderlecht, and seven-time champions AC Milan.
Barcelona, who have reached the final twice in the last four years, are in Group G along with Benfica, Celtic, and Spartak.
The wealthy Paris Saint-Germain also seem to be lucky to only have to face FC Porto, Dynamo Kiev, and Dinamo Zagreb.
Last season's runners-up, Bayern Munich, are in Group F along with Valencia, Lille, and BATE Borisov.
“We can control this group, at least on paper,” said Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes. “But the Champions League is always a tough challenge, with opponents who deserve respect.”
The Champions League group stage will kick off on September 18-19, and the first round will feature some fiery clashes as Chelsea host Juventus and Manchester City visit Real Madrid.
Draw results:
Group A: Porto, Dynamo Kiev, PSG, Dinamo Zagreb
Group B: Arsenal, Schalke, Olympiacos, Montpellier
Group C: Milan, Zenit, Anderlecht, Malaga
Group D: Real Madrid, Man City, Ajax, Dortmund
Group E: Chelsea, Shakhtar Donestk, Juventus, Nordsjælland
Group F: Bayern Munich, Valencia, Lille, BATE
Group G: Bareclona, Benfica, Spartak Moscow, Celtic
Group H: Manchester United, Braga, Galatasaray, CFR Cluij
According to (Vietnam+) - DT
