Pep Guardiola will return to Camp Nou to take on Barcelona with Manchester City in the Champions League group stage.
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“It’s not a nightmare draw at all because we are in a wonderful competition and we are really happy to be here, but in Barcelona, Borussia Monchengladbach and Celtic we know it won’t be easy”.
It was one of three successive semi-final eliminations that Guardiola suffered in as many seasons at Bayern.
As it stands, the clubs that finish fourth in the top three leagues have to compete in a two-legged playoff tie in order to progress into the group stage.
Reigning champions Real Madrid are in the same pool with former champs Dortmund and Sporting Lisbon of Portugal, plus Poland’s Legia Warsaw.
The Polish team are back in the group stage after a 20-year absence.
Uefa has also revealed the financial distribution to clubs will be “increased significantly” for the Champions League and Europa League.
Brendan Rogers’ Celtic have been placed in Group C and face the unenviable task of battling football giants Barcelona and Manchester City along with German outfit Borussia Monchengladbach for a place in the knockout stage.
The Gunners have enjoyed an otherwise relatively kind draw, though, with FC Basel and Bulgarian side Ludogorets the other opposition in Group A.
The Foxes are preparing for their first campaign among Europe’s elite having won a shock Premier League title last season.
Italy has only two guaranteed places, plus one in the play-off round.
Twice former champions Benfica, Napoli, Dynamo Kiev and Besiktas are in Group B.
Tottenham will face CSKA Moscow, Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen, while surprise Premier League champions Leicester have been given a relatively benign draw in the shape of Porto, Brugge and Copenhagen.
“This alone is good news for each season’s Ladbrokes Premiership champion club and indeed for Scottish football as a whole”.
Ronaldo scored the Champions League winning penalty against Atletico Madrid and won the Euro Championship as leader of the Portuguese squad.
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He finished ahead of teammate Gareth Bale and Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann in the UEFA vote.
