adminEuropean champions Real Madrid will face former champions Liverpool, FC Basel and debutants Ludogorets of Bulgaria following the draw for the group stage of the Champions league yesterday.
Real won the title for the 10th time when they beat Atletico Madrid 4-1 after extra time in Lisbon in May and have the chance to avenge a 5-0 aggregate defeat to five-time champions Liverpool in the last 16 in 2009.
Further back in time Liverpool beat Real 1-0 in the 1981 European Cup final in Paris.
The draw, held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo, had a distinct air of deja vu about it.
Arsenal were drawn in the same group as Borussia Dortmund for the second successive season, as were Chelsea and Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
Bayern and City were joined by CSKA Moscow for the second straight season too with AS Roma completing the quartet in Group E.
Last season’s runners-up Atletico were grouped with former champions Juventus, Olympiakos Piraeus and Malmo of Sweden.
Barcelona and Paris St Germain, both clubs with strong links to Qatar, will face each other in Group F along with former champions Ajax Amsterdam and APOEL Nicosia.
Group A
Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Olympiacos, Malmo
Group B
Real Madrid, FC Basel, Liverpool, Ludogorets Razgrard
Group C
Benfica, Zenit St Petersburg, Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco
Group D
Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Galatasary, Anderlecht
Group E
Bayern Munich, Manchester City, CSKA, Moscow, Roma
Group F
Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Ajax, Apoel
Group G
Chelsea, Schalke, Sporting Lisbon, Maribor
Group H
Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Athletic Bilbao, BATE Borisov
Online Reporter