City get Barca, Arsenal to face PSG
PEP Guardiola will return to former clu club Barcelona with Manchester City in the Champions LeagueLeag after the two sides were th thrown together in yesterday’s gro group stage draw in Monaco. Guardiola, a European Cup winner w with Barca as a player in 1992 before twice guiding the Ca Catalan giants to the ChampionsChampion League title in 2009 and 2 2011, will also come up aga against Borussia MoenchengladbachMoenchenglad and Celtic in GroupGro C. Defending champ i ons Real Madrid, who won a record 11th European Cup last season, were paired with Borussia Dortmund in Group F alongside Portugal’s Sporting and Legia Warsaw of Poland.
Five-time winners Bayern Munich will play last year’s beaten finalists Atletico Madrid in Group D, which also features PSV Eindhoven and Russian competition debutants Rostov.
Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal are the two clear favourites to progress from Group A ahead of Basel and Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets, while Premier League champions Leicester City were handed a favourable draw in Group G which includes Porto, Club Brugge and FC Copenhagen.
Juventus will take on three-time reigning European League champions Sevilla as well as Lyon and Dinamo — Zagreb in Group H.
The first matches will be played on September 13 and 14. BARCELONA have signed goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen from Ajax Amsterdam on a five-year contract in a deal worth €13 million (approximately R206 million), the La Liga champions said yesterday.
The 27-year-old, who made 31 league appearances last season to help Ajax finish second in the Dutch Eredivisie standings, will fight with keeper MarcAndre ter Stegen for a starting place at Barcelona.
“FC Barcelona has decided to purchase 27-yearold Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen from Ajax Amsterdam on a five-year contract,” the Spanish club said in a statement on their website.
“The transfer fee is a guaranteed €13 million plus a further two million in variables. Cillessen’s buyout clause has been set at €60 million.”
The Dutchman’s arrival could signal a move for Claudio Bravo. Manchester City have reached an agreement with Barca to buy the Chilean goalkeeper, Spanish and British media reported. — Reuters.