25th August, 2011
Titleholders Barcelona were pitted against seven-time winners, AC Milan in the draw for the 2011/2012 Champions League group stages in Monaco today.
SuperSport reports that aside from Milan, knocked out in the last 16 last term, Pep Guardiola’s Spanish giants will also face FC Bate Borisov of Belarus and Viktoria Plzen in Group H.
Manchester United, making a record 17th appearance in the world’s top club competition, were the first of the 32 teams to be drawn out of Uefa’s ‘hat’ by Portuguese legend Luis Figo.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s three-time winners face Benfica, the Portuguese double winners from the early 1960s, FC Basel and Romanian outfit FC Otelul Galati in Group C.
Figo’s former club, nine-time kings of Europe Real Madrid, come up against old foes Lyon of France, Dutch heavyweights Ajax and Dinamo Zagreb.
Today’s 32-team draw featured 11 previous winners and five newcomers, with among the debutants Ferguson’s ‘noisy neighbours’, Manchester City.
Roberto Mancini’s expensively assembled side were handed a tricky assignment with four-time winners Bayern Munich, who had to come through the play-offs, keeping them company in Group A.
Also on City’s radar are Italian group stage first timers Napoli and Villarreal.
Arsenal’s tricky start to the season with star players Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri leaving the Emirates Stadium for pastures new was eased by their defeat of Udinese in the play-offs.
And the Gunners’ reward for securing their 14th Champions League campaign was a match-up against Didier Deschamps’ Marseille, Borussia Dortmund and Olympiakos.
Chelsea, the fourth representative from the Premier League and last season’s quarterfinalists, are in Group E with Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen and Genk.
Last season’s quarterfinalists and three-time champions, Inter Milan come up against Russian outfit CSKA Moscow, Lille and Trabzonspor in Group B.
Group G comprises another former winner of the competition in FC Porto, who face Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit St Petersburg and APOEL Nicosia.
The long road to the 19 May, 2012 final at Bayern’s Munich stadium starts on 13 September with the opening salvoes of this season’s group stages.
The top two placed teams in each group advance to the first knockout round, with the third-placed teams dropping down to the Europa League.
Group A
FC Bayern München (GER)
Villarreal CF (ESP)
Manchester City FC (ENG)
SSC Napoli (ITA)
Group B
FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)
PFC CSKA Moskva (RUS)
LOSC Lille Métropole (FRA)
Trabzonspor AS, (TUR)
Group C
Manchester United FC (ENG)
SL Benfica (POR)
FC Basel 1893 (SUI)
FC Otelul Galati (ROU)
Group D
Real Madrid CF (ESP)
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)
AFC Ajax (NED)
GNK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
Group E
Chelsea FC (ENG)
Valencia CF (ESP)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER)
KRC Genk (BEL)
Group F
Arsenal FC (ENG)
Olympique de Marseille (FRA)
Olympiacos FC (GRE)
Borussia Dortmund (GER)
Group G
FC Porto (POR)
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
FC Zenit St Petersburg (RUS)
APOEL FC (CYP)
Group H
FC Barcelona (ESP)
AC Milan (ITA)
FC BATE Borisov (BLR)
FC Viktoria Plzen( (CZE)