Ronaldo, Messi face showdown in ECL

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GENEVA: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will face each other for the first time in more than two years after their teams, Barcelona and Juventus, were drawn together yesterday in the Champions League group stage.

Defending champion Bayern Munich faces a potentially bruising two matches against Atletico Madrid, while the draw also produced several other heavyweight clashes, including Paris St Germain v Manchester United and Real Madrid v Inter Milan.

English Premier League champion Liverpool must face Ajax Amsterdam and freescoring Serie A side Atalanta.

The draw, usually held at a lavish ceremony in a seaside conference hall in Monaco, this time took place in a Geneva television studio due to the Covid19 pandemic.

The late start to the season — a knockon effect of last season being interrupted by the pandemic — means that the six matchdays will be played between October 19 and December 9, a month less than usual.

Shortly after the ceremony, Uefa announced spectators would be allowed to watch matches, up to a maximum of 30% of stadium capacity, if local authorities allow.

Barcelona and Juventus, who met in the 2015 final, were paired in Group G along with Dynamo

Kyiv and Hungarian side Ferencvaros, who are back in the group stage after a 25year absence.

Ronaldo (35) and Messi (33), the two highest scorers in Champions League history with 130 and 115 goals respectively, have not clashed since the Portuguese left Real Madrid to join Juventus at the end of the 201718 season.

The pair have met only five times in the Champions League, most recently in 2011, when Barcelona beat Real 31 on aggregate in the semifinals.

It will also be a tough start for Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo, handed the reins in August despite having no previous coaching experience.

Bayern was the first team to be drawn out of the pot by former Chelsea and Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba, one of the guests at the draw, and were joined by Atletico Madrid, Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow.

Paris St Germain, last season's runnerup, and Manchester United will clash in Group H, bringing back memories of the English side's comeback two seasons ago when it won on away goals after losing 20 at home.

A tough group was completed by Bundesliga side RB Leipzig and Turkey's Istanbul Basaksehir — one of four group stage debutants alongside Rennes, FC Midtjylland and Russians Krasnodar.

Group D will feature Liverpool and Ajax, which have won the competition 10 times between them, plus Atalanta, which reached the quarterfinals on its debut last season, and Denmark's Midtjylland.

Thirteentimes champions Real Madrid was drawn in Group B alongside Antonio Conte's Inter Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Group E appeared to be one of the most open groups, featuring Europa League winner Sevilla, Chelsea, Krasnodar and Rennes.

Manchester City will start as clear favourite in Group C, with Porto, Olympiakos and Olympique de Marseille likely to battle for second spot. — Reuters