DEVILS’ REUNION
Ronaldo’s chance to reminisce as Juventus are drawn with United
CRISTIANO Ronaldo will head back to Old Trafford after Manchester United were drawn in Champions League Group H with Italian champions Juventus.
Aside from Ronaldo and Juventus providing a difficult challenge, United should face easier rides against Valencia and Young Boys, who return to the group stages this year.
However Ronaldo's reunion can't be dismissed as the 33year-old tries to win the Champions League for a fourth year in a row.
The pressure is only increasing on manager Jose Mourinho as United, after a poor start to the Premier League season, face Ronaldo returning to Old Trafford.
The ties against Juventus are going to be marquee occasions, especially because of the matchup between Mourinho and Ronaldo, who joined the Italian club from Real Madrid for £100 million (RM535 million) in the summer.
Three of the four English teams have received difficult draws. Last season’s finalists Liverpool also have a tough group to negotiate against Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: “PSG are one of the most exciting teams in the world and I think their target is to win the Champions League, so that will be two interesting matches.
“Red Star, I watched them come through in qualifying, and it will be again a very very intense atmosphere. Last season is last season and now we have to do it again.”
Tottenham, who face Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan in Group B, look like they will be playing most of their home games at Wembley with their new ground not expected to open until December.
Elsewhere, history beckons for Manchester City and Pep Guardiola after they were handed the easiest of Champions League draws in Monaco.
City, who have made an unbeaten start to the defence of their title, want to make a serious challenge in Europe after underachieving for a number of seasons considering their wealth of talent.
A group involving Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon and Hoffenheim gives them the best possible chance of progressing to the knockout stages without too much fuss.
It is also an encouraging omen for Guardiola’s European ambitions that they are in Group F, with 40 per cent of Champions League winners — six out of the last 15 — emerging from that group since 2004.
Real Madrid, winners in each of the last three seasons, will face 2018 semi-finalists Roma, along with CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen from the Czech Republic.
The final this season will be held at Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. If Diego Simeone’s men want to attend the party at their own house, they must negotiate a group featuring Borussia Dortmund, Monaco and Club Brugge.
Bayern Munich, once again among the favorites for the title, are in Group B with Benfica, Ajax, and AEK Athens — who knocked out Celtic in the qualifiers.
The weakest pool appears to be Group D, with Russian champions Lokomotiv Moscow as top seeds. Porto, Schalke and Galatasaray will all be eyeing a place in the last 16.