THE UEFA Champions League group stage draw threw up some heavyweight fixtures on Thursday as the teams got to know their opponents.
In Group A, Lionel Messi and his Paris Saint-Germain teammates have been pitted against English champions Manchester City, managed by the Argentine star’s former coach at Barcelona, Pep Guardiola.
The other clubs drawn in the group are Germany’s RB Leipzig and Belgium’s Club Brugge.
Champions Chelsea will begin the defence of their title in Group G with Italian giants Juventus, Russian club Zenit St Petersburg and Sweden’s Malmo.
Bayern Munich and Barcelona headline Group E, with Portuguese bigwigs Benfica and Ukraine’s Dynamo Kyiv also in the pool.
Last season’s Europa League finalists Villarreal (winners) and Manchester United are together in Group F, along with Italian side Atalanta and Switzerland’s Young Boys.
The tightest group appears to be B, where Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Porto and resurgent Italian giants AC Milan will jostle for the top two positions.
Group D has Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk, who were all in the same group last season.
Moldova’s newcomers Sheriff make up the pool.
The Champions League awards were also held on Thursday evening during the draw, with Chelsea winning most of the prizes.
Chelsea’s Edoaurd Mendy, N’Golo Kante and Thomas Tuchel won the Best Goalkeeper, Midfielder and Coach of the Year awards, while Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland was named Forward of the Year.
Chelsea’s Jorginho also claimed the big prize, the Player of the Year award.
Champions League groups
GROUP A
Manchester City
PSG
RB Leipzig
Club Brugge
GROUP B
Atletico Madrid
Liverpool
Porto
AC Milan
GROUP C
Sporting Lisbon
Borussia Dortmund
Ajax
Besiktas
GROUP D
Inter Milan
Real Madrid
Shakhtar Donetsk
Sheriff
GROUP E
Bayern Munich
Barcelona
Benfica
Dynamo Kyiv
GROUP F
Villarreal
Manchester United
Atalanta
Young Boys
GROUP G
Lille
Sevilla
Salzburg
Wolfsburg
GROUP H
Chelsea
Juventus
Zenit St Petersburg
Malmo
