Champions Real up against Dortmund and Spurs in group stage
MONACO: Holders Real Madrid will start their attempt to win a record third straight Champions League title in a group with Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur and Apoel Nicosia after yesterday’s draw.
The Group H draw will see Real’s Welsh international Gareth Bale face his former club Tottenham for the first time since his 2013 move to Madrid. Real were drawn in the same group as Dortmund last year and drew 2-2 both home and away.
Manchester United will face their opponents from their 1968 European Cup final triumph, Benfica, and were given a relatively kind draw with Switzerland’s FC Basel and CSKA Moscow also in Group A.
The world’s most expensive player, Neymar, will be up
Champions League Groups
Benfica; Manchester United; FC Basel; CSKA Moscow
Bayern Munich; Paris Saint Germain; Anderlecht; Celtic
Chelsea; Atletico Madrid; AS Roma; Qarabag
Juventus; Barcelona; Olympiakos Piraeus; Sporting Lisbon against Bayern Munich, Anderlecht and Celtic in Group B as his club Paris Saint Ger- Spartak Moscow; Sevilla; Liverpool; Maribor Shakhtar Donetsk; Manchester City; Napoli; Feyenoord Monaco; Porto; Besiktas; Leipzig Real Madrid; Borussia Dortmund; Tottenham Hotspur; Apoel Nicosia main (PSG) look for their first Champions League title.
“I’m very happy with the draw. Bayern are a very strong team, and we and them will be the two favourites,” said PSG coach Unai Emery.
Barcelona will face last year’s beaten finalists Juventus in Group D, as well as Olympiakos Piraeus and Sporting Lisbon. Group C throws up some interesting games with 2012 winners Chelsea up against Atletico Madrid, beaten finalists in 2016 and 2014.
AS Roma will also fancy their chances of progressing from Group C, and Qarabag, the first team from Azerbaijan to qualify for the group stage, will relish the big-name opponents.
Liverpool face Sevilla, who beat them in the final of the 2016 Europa League, but Jurgen Klopp’s team will be confident against Spartak Moscow and Maribor. – Reuters