Two of Europe’s leading strikers will take on their former teams as Manchester City’s Erling Haaland faces Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski meets Bayern Munich after the Champions League group-stage draw was made on Thursday.
Holders Real Madrid will play RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic in Group F. But while Carlo Ancelotti’s side should have few problems in making the roundof-16, at least on paper, their Spanish rivals Barca face a tough test against Bayern, Inter Milan and Viktoria Plzen in Group C.
Supporters will also look forward to Lewandowski’s return to Bayern. Manchester City were drawn in Group G with Dortmund, Sevilla and FC Copenhagen, and their Spanish coach Pep Guardiola will hope Haaland’s arrival can fuel the club’s bid for a first European Cup crown. Liverpool meet Ajax Amsterdam, Napoli and Rangers in Group A. Chelsea will meet AC Milan in Group E along with RB Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb.
The group stage will begin earlier than usual on Sept. 6 and conclude ahead of this year’s World Cup finals. The knockout stages begin in February, with the final taking place in Istanbul in June. Madrid striker Karim Benzema was named Uefa Player of the Year and Ancelotti took the coaching honours. Barcelona women’s Alexia Putellas won the women’s player of the year, beating England’s Beth Mead and Germany’s Lena Oberdorf to the top prize.