Istanbul: Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland will swiftly come toe-to-toe with their former team-mates following Thursday’s group-stage draw for the Champions League. Fresh from his move to Camp Nou in the transfer window, Lewandowski will return to familiar surroundings with Barcelona and Bayern Munich — who boast 11 Champions League titles between them — drawn in a tough Group C along with Inter.
And another reunion will see Haaland come up against Borussia Dortmund, whom he left to join Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. They find themselves in Group G alongside Sevilla and Copenhagen, reports DPA. Another heavyweight clash will take place in Group H, with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus set to lock horns.
Chelsea, England’s most recent winners of the competition, will have to contend with Milan; Liverpool face a trip to Napoli, and Tottenham tackle Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt.
Both sides of Madrid have favourable draws on paper, with Real drawn with RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic, while Atletico Madrid tussle will go up against Porto, Bayer Leverkusen and Club Brugge.
Following is the draw for the 2022-2023 UEFA Champions League group stage, according to Xinhua:
Group A: Ajax (Netherlands), Liverpool (England), Napoli (Italy), Rangers (Scotland);
Group B: FC Porto (Portugal), Atletico Madrid (Spain), Bayer Leverkusen (Germany), Club Brugge (Belgium);
Group C: Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Inter Milan (Italy), Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic);
Group D: Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany), Tottenham Hotspur (England), Sporting (Portugal), Marseille (France);
Group E: AC Milan (Italy), Chelsea (England), Red Bull Salzburg (Austria), Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia);
Group F: Real Madrid (Spain), RB Leipzig (Germany), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), Celtic (Scotland);
Group G: Manchester City (England), Sevilla (Spain), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), FC Copenhagen (Denmark);
Group H: Paris Saint-Germain (France), Juventus (Italy), Benfica (Portugal), Maccabi Haifa (Israel).
Dates:
Matchday 1: September 6-7; Matchday 2: September 13-14; Matchday 3: October 4-5; Matchday 4: October 11-12; Matchday 5: October 25-26; Matchday 6: November 1-2.
–IANS