Man Utd face tough return to Champions League after being drawn in group with PSG and RB Leipzig

Manchester United’s return to the Champions League has been rewarded with a tough-looking draw for the group stage.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are alongside last season’s beaten finalists, Paris St-Germain, as well as semi-finalists RB Leipzig.

United reached the semi-finals of the Europa League last season, losing to eventual winners Sevilla, but qualification for European football’s main competition was imperative, not just for the club’s finances, but also their global reputation.

The draw, though, has not been kind and United will have to beat two of last season’s success stories if they are going to finish in the top two and avoid being back in the Europa League after Christmas.

PSG will be among the favourites to win the Champions League, while Leipzig are also dangerous despite the sale of top goalscorer Tino Werner to Chelsea over the summer. Istanbul Basaksehir are the other team in Group H.

There was also a tricky test for Liverpool, who will face last season’s surprise package Atalanta, as well as Ajax and Danish side Midtjylland. The good news for them is that although Ajax reached the semi-finals of the competition in 2019, they have since sold most of their key players and are in a rebuilding phase, with a fresh wave of academy graduates thrust into the first team.

Atalanta will also no longer have the benefit of surprise when they return to the Champions League after unexpectedly reaching the quarter-finals last season.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard will be relatively happy with his team’s draw after they were placed alongside reigning Europa League holders Sevilla, French club Rennes and Russian club Krasnodar. Given the amount of money – around £250 million – spent to improve the squad over the summer, owner Roman Abramovich will expect Lampard to make smooth progress from the group while also maintaining an interest in the Premier League title race.

Manchester City will also be relatively happy with their opponents in Group C alongside Porto, who have once again lost key players this summer to wealthier rivals, French club Marseille and perennial Greek champions Olympiakos.

Like Lampard, City manager Pep Guardiola has had a testing start to the new season, but will be expected to make easy work of the group as he looks to win the trophy City’s owners crave more than any other in what could well prove to be his final year as manager. The draw also paired Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with Barcelona and Juventus drawn in the same group.

Txiki Begiristain, the City director of football, said: “We are happy with the draw, but we always know the difficulty of all the teams that we play against. The Champions League is becoming more difficult every year, you can see surprises already with some clubs out of the first group. Our mentality is to get as far as we can.”

On playing Marseille without fans, he said: “Absolutely [it is a different prospect] and I must say the same about Olympiacos. We cannot say that we are lucky that there are no fans because we play for the fans and the motivation to play in this competition with the fans is what we are here for. Of course, being honest, we know how tough it is to play in Athens and Marseille, so maybe it is our advantage. Players are missing the fans as they like to play for the fans as well.”

Meanwhile, fans will be allowed entry into international matches in Europe from next week, where local laws allow.

It follows a successful pilot scheme at the Uefa Super Cup in Budapest on Sept 4. Spectators will now be limited to 30 per cent of stadium capacity, but no away supporters will be permitted.

 

 

 

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04:44 PM

That's it

It's finally over...phew

Here are the groups involving English sides one more time. 

The fixture list comes out tomorrow with matchday one on 20/21 October

GROUP C - Porto, Man City, Olympiakos, Marseille

GROUP D -  Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta, Midtjylland

GROUP E- Sevilla, Chelsea, Krasnodar, Rennes

GROUP H - Paris St-Germain, Man Utd, RB Leipzig, İstanbul Başakşehir

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04:38 PM

One last award...

UEFA men's player of the year is ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI...

So that's why he wore his DJ. He has been far and away the best player in Europe this year. It's a huge shame there's no Ballon d'Or this year as he would have been a deserved winner and FINALLY broken up the tedious Messi/Ronaldo monotony. 

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04:32 PM

Draw in full

The Champions League 2020/21 group stage draw in full!

😍😍😍#UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/kYxxK5pFW0

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 1, 2020

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04:30 PM

What will they make of that?

Of all the English sides Chelsea will be the happiest. Sevilla will obviously pose a real challenge at home and away but debutants Krasnodar and Rennes should prove easily beatable. 

Liverpool face Ajax, fellow European aristocrats. But the trickier trip will likely be to Atalanta. The Italians got to the quarters last season and have won their opening two matches in Serie A this season. Danish outfit Midtjylland should prove to be less of an obstacle. 

For City it’s an ok group. You’d expect them to top the group that contains Porto, Olympiakos and Marseille. But no tie will be simple for Pep’s players. 

It’s United who have the tough task. They face PSG and RB Leipzig - the finalists and semi-finalists from last year’s competition. They’ll have done well to make the knockout stages. 

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04:23 PM

Groups with the English teams

GROUP C - Porto, Man City, Olympiakos, Marseille

GROUP D -  Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta, Midtjylland

GROUP E- Sevilla, Chelsea, Krasnodar, Rennes

GROUP H - Paris St-Germain, Man Utd, RB Leipzig, İstanbul Başakşehir

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04:21 PM

GROUP G

GROUP G - Juventus, Barcelona, Dynamo Kiev, Ferencváros

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04:20 PM

GROUP B

GROUP B Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Borussia Mönchengladbach

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04:20 PM

GROUP D

GROUP D -  Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta, Midtjylland

Not bad for Klopp's men

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04:19 PM

GROUP E

GROUP E- Sevilla, Chelsea, Krasnodar, Rennes

Very good for the Blues....

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04:18 PM

GROUP H

GROUP H - Paris St-Germain, Man Utd, RB Leipzig, İstanbul Başakşehir

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04:17 PM

GROUP F

GROUP F - Zenit St Petersburg, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio, Club Brugge

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04:16 PM

GROUP A

GROUP A - Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg, L Moscow

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04:15 PM

LAST POT - phew

GROUP C - Porto, Man City, Olympiakos, Marseille

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04:10 PM

Lewandowski...

...has turned up in a DJ while everyone else is in lounge suits...awkward...

He looks dapper, though...future James Bond? 

Painful chat about the striker's dance moves ensues....

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04:09 PM

Another award

Forwards of the year are...drum roll please...

Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski (easy one that...)  and Pernille Harder, who  has moved from Wolfsburg to Chelsea.

A remarkable #UCL campaign, @lewy_official 🤯#UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/AjOzyfGQdF

— #UCLdraw (@ChampionsLeague) October 1, 2020

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04:06 PM

Which means....

...that Group F looks like this -  Zenit St Petersburg, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio

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04:05 PM

Group A

Bayern Munich, Atletico, are landed with Salzburg

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04:04 PM

Group G

 Juventus, Barcelona are with  Dynamo Kiev

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04:03 PM

Group C

Olympiacos find themselves with MAN CITY and Porto.

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04:02 PM

Another tough group...

....as Atalanta are in Group D with LIVERPOOL and Ajax. 

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04:01 PM

Look away now Man Utd fans...

RB Leipzig have been dumped in Group H with PSG and MAN UTD. Looks like tough group for United....

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04:00 PM

Good news for Chelsea

Krasnodar are in Group E with Sevilla and CHELSEA

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03:58 PM

On to Pot 3...

At this rate we'll be done before the next pandemic hits in 2022...It's taken an hour to draw 16 teams....

 

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03:56 PM

So...

To recap...

Liverpool have Ajax

City have Porto

Man Utd have PSG

Chelsea have Sevilla

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03:55 PM

Classy Kevin

Immense. @DeBruyneKev 👏👏👏#UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/QofT90a172

— #UCLdraw (@ChampionsLeague) October 1, 2020

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03:54 PM

Another award

Yawn... But it's a well-deserved gong for City's Kevin de Bruyne who is Champions League midfielder of the year. 

Congratulations, @DeBruyneKev 👏 pic.twitter.com/NXy2Pqlo1L

— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 1, 2020

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03:52 PM

Which means...

...that Man City are in Group C against Porto. That's the one Pep would have wanted, I suspect.

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03:51 PM

Man Utd....

...are in Group H against PSG! Where Ole Gunnar Solskjaer cemented his position as United boss with that come-from-behind win two seasons ago. 

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03:50 PM

Group F

Borussia Dortmund have been drawn against Zenit. One that United would have wanted....

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03:49 PM

Group B

Shakhtar Donetsk are in Group B against Real Madrid. 

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03:48 PM

Liverpool fans...

Ajax have drawn LIVERPOOL in Group D

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03:47 PM

Battle of the big egos

Barcelona are drawn with Juve in Group G. Messi v Ronaldo once again!

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03:47 PM

Chelsea are in....

...in Group E with Sevilla. They’ll be quite happy with that.

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03:45 PM

Back to the draw, phew...

Excitement levels rise for first time today…

Atletico are in Group A with Bayern Munich.

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03:43 PM

To be fair...

...the award would look quite nice on the mantelpiece. I cannot find a pic of it so you'll just have to take my word for it...

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03:40 PM

Before we learn who those in Pot 1 will have in their groups...

...we obviously have to have another award...

 It's the Champions League defenders of the season awards, I nearly fell asleep but the winners are Joshua Kimmich  of Bayern and Lyon's Wendie Renard. Their families must be so proud. 

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03:36 PM

POT 1....

We’re starting with Pot 1 and Didier Drogba pulls out Bayern! 

How apt, the champions are out first and are in Group A.

Real Madrid are in Group B.

Porto find themselves in Group C.

LIVERPOOL are in Group D. 

Sevilla are in Group E.

Zenit are in Group F. 

Juventus are in Group G. 

PSG are obviously in Group H. 

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03:29 PM

Shock horror

It looks like we're about to actually start the draw....

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03:25 PM

The Wall

Why Manuel Neuer won his award...

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐋.
Congrats, @Manuel_Neuer! 🙌#UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/Sr2Xx43q1l

— #UCLdraw (@ChampionsLeague) October 1, 2020

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03:23 PM

More awards...

This is all really sincere, pompous and, well, boring so far...we only really want to find out who plays who in the Champions League groups stages...

Anyway, the the best goalkeepers of last year's men's and women's Champions League are Bayern's Manuel Neuer and Lyon's Sarah Bouhaddi. Standing ovation please....

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03:17 PM

UEFA love awards...

And of course we have a few tonight...accompanied by the grandiose UEFA anthem - who says the footballing body doesn't have a big head? 

First award winner tonight is Didier Drogba! The Chelsea hero - and only reason the Blues won the Champions League in 2012 - picks up the president's award.

I wasn't sure what that was so I looked it up on the UEFA website...

"The UEFA President's Award recognises outstanding achievements, professional excellence and exemplary personal qualities. The accolade, first introduced by UEFA in 1998, focuses particularly on the true protagonists – the players – who have advanced the game's development and success."

Now we know...

Well done, Didier...

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02:56 PM

For Chelsea...

Best-case scenario: Porto, Atalanta, Ferencvaros

Watching Chelsea at the moment you get the feeling that, and I’m trying not to be too harsh here, no potential group will be overly easy for them. They lost to a second-string Spurs on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup and look less than the sum of their parts. Anyway, as with City and United, Porto will be the team they’d like to get out of Pot 1. 

Worst-case scenario: Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Lokomotiv Moscow 

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02:56 PM

For Manchester United...

Best-case scenario: Porto, Olympiacos, Ferencvaros

As with City, United would prefer a trip to Portugal than Russia, hence Porto - unbeaten in their two league matches this season - is preferable to Zenit. 

Worst-case scenario: Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Lokomotiv Moscow

The United defence is slightly porous at the moment - Exhibit A Brighton’s attack giving them the runaround at the weekend - so Lewandowski and Co. would love to face Harry Maguire et al at the moment. 

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02:54 PM

For Manchester City...

Best-case scenario: Porto, Olympiacos, Ferencvaros

City have much to prove both domestically and in Europe this year - not least after their chastening 5-2 defeat by Leicester on Sunday. They will be hoping to avoid the many big guns in Pot 1 and so Porto would be a good team to get.

Worst-case scenario: Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Lokomotiv Moscow

Bayern may have lost at the weekend  - the Hoff (Hoffenheim, in case you were wondering) beat them 4-1 - their first defeat of 2020, but the defending champions are still clearly the team to avoid. Inter are unbeaten in their two matches so far this season. And as I’ve written before - who wants to be in a freezing Moscow (well, I would, but that’s because I’ve never been and if I went I definitely wouldn’t want to be playing football - you catch my drift…). 

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02:53 PM

For Liverpool...

Best-case scenario: Ajax, Olympiacos, Ferencvaros

Of all the side’s they can face in pot 2 the Dutch masters are the easiest side to face. They don’t have the same XI that should have got to the final in 2019 and the short journey to Amsterdam is infinitely preferable to a long journey to Shakhtar Donetsk. Technically Atalanta are the weakest side in Pot 3, but they are unbeaten in two Serie A matches this year and were great to watch as they got to the last-eight, but they will be ones to avoid so a trip to a silent Athens (the stadium, at least) will be better. 

Worst-case scenario: Atletico, Inter Milan, Lokomotiv Moscow

It could be Barcelona but Atletico were the one side who looked like they had the better of the Reds last season as they sent Jurgen Klopp’s men - then defending champions - crashing out of the Champions League in March. Inter are unbeaten in Serie A this year - though, only after two matches - and no one wants a long flight to Russia, especially when it’s literally freezing.

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02:47 PM

POT 4

Lokomotiv Moscow, Marseille, Club Brugge,  Borussia Mönchengladbach, İstanbul Başakşehir, Midtjylland, Rennes, Ferencváros

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02:44 PM

POT 3

Dynamo Kiev,  Salzburg, RB Leipzig,  Inter Milan,  Olympiacos, Lazio, Krasnodar, Atalanta

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02:42 PM

POT 2

Barcelona,  Atlético Madrid, Manchester City,  Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk,  Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea,  Ajax

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02:40 PM

POT 1

Bayern Munich, Sevilla , Real Madrid, Liverpool, Juventus, PSG, Zenit St Petersburg , Porto

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02:36 PM

Pots and plans...

I’ve always wondered how the pots (to follow) are made up. Now I know…Pot 1 is made up of the Champions League holders, the Europa League holders, and the champions of the top six association countries based on their UEFA coefficients. The other three pots are all done on their coefficients, which basically means if you’re not that good you’re in Pot 4 if you’re a bit tasty then you’re in Pot 2…

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02:34 PM

So what are the rules?

As an experienced watcher of these draws I'll level with you...I still don't really know what the rules are. Sometimes it feels as if you need a PHD in mathematics and logic from Oxford to get your head around the regulations that surround these things. All I know is that it will be unnecessarily glitzy and overly mawkish - yuck.

Never fear, I have, for once, done my homework and here is what you need to know about the upcoming draw...

There are four pots BUT no two sides from the same country can face each other in the group stages, while, for geopolitical reasons, sides from Russia and Ukraine cannot be drawn together.

If that wasn’t complicated enough, there is the added hurdle that no more than two teams from any one country can play on the same night, so in the case of English clubs Liverpool and Manchester United have been paired up, with Man City and Chelsea together.

That basically means that if a paired club is drawn in Groups A, B, C or D, the other paired club will automatically be assigned to one of the other groups - E, F, G or H. So if Man City are in Group A, for example, then Chelsea will have to be in one of the latter four groups.

Hope that all makes sense...

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02:26 PM

The Chaaaaampions!

Welcome to the draw for this season’s Champions League draw - the one they all want to win. Or known as, if you’re like me, the BIG Trophy…