Chelsea given Atletico Madrid test in Champions League draw

Chelsea will face Atletico Madrid in Champions League Group C in a draw which brings Diego Costa’s ongoing exile into renewed focus.

Five English clubs found out their opponents for the group stage, which begins on September 12 and 13, in the draw in Monaco yesterday.

Premier League champions Chelsea were drawn in Group C alongside Costa’s former club Atletico.

Costa joined Chelsea – the most recent champions from Britain after lifting the trophy in2012 – from Atletico in July 2014 and has been an unauthorised absentee from London this summer as he agitates for a move back to his former club. The situation is complicated by a transfer embargo which prevents Atletico from registering new players until January.

Roma and Qarabag, the first Azerbaijan side to reach the group stages, are also in Group C.

Tottenham, runners-up behind their London rivals in May, face the unenviable task of facing holders Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in Group H, as well as Cyprus’ APOEL.

Manchester United, who qualified by winning the Europa League in May, received a favourable draw in Group A alongside Benfica, Basle and CSKA Moscow, while city rivals Manchester City will face Shakhtar Donetsk, Napoli and Feyenoord in Group F.

Five-time winners Liverpool, who advanced via the play-offs with victory over Hoffenheim, will play Spartak Moscow, Sevilla and Maribor in Group E.

Real Madrid won Europe’s elite club competition in Cardiff in June, becoming the first team in the Champions League era to win back-toback titles.

The draw was made at the Grimaldi Forum in the Principality by Francesco Totti and Andriy Shevchenko, the former Chelsea striker and an ambassador for the 2018 final in his native Ukraine.

Teams from the same association cannot face each other in the group stage.

It is only the second season that five clubs from one nation were in the group stage, after Spain had five representatives in 2015-16.

Just two groups featured non-British teams. Juventus, runners-up in Cardiff in June, face Barcelona, Olympiacos and Sporting Lisbon in Group D, while Group G features Monaco, Porto, Besiktas and RB Leipzig.

The final takes place at the NSK Olimpiyskyi in Kiev on May 26 2018.

Cristiano Ronaldo was named Uefa’s Men’s Player of the Year for 2016-17 at yesterday’s draw in Monaco.