Bayern will have their work cut out for them in the group stage.
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French giants Paris Saint-Germain clash with Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal in Group A.
Holder and 11-time victor Real Madrid will have a tough pair of matches against Borussia Dortmund in Group F although both teams should progress from a section that also contains Sporting Lisbon and Legia Warsaw.
Cristiano Ronaldo – who scored the winning penalty in The Whites’ final triumph last season against neighbours Atletico – will this time face Sporting Lisbon, the team where he began his illustrious career.
The move has been driven in a bid to fight off the threat of a breakaway European Super League by top clubs.
Former Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson has written in The Daily Record that the Celtic players should give their all in the Champions League matches this season.
The Premier League was in danger of losing one its places to Serie A at the end of this season, particularly after Sassuolo qualified for this season’s Europa League group stage while West Ham were eliminated, but both leagues will now get four Champions League spots.
City’s new manager, who twice won the competition during his illustrious spell in charge at Barca, guided City into the group stage with victory over Steaua Bucharest in the play-off round. It’s good for Pep because he knows Borussia very well from his time at Bayern and Barcelona as well so we will see. In Italy two sides are awarded entry with the third participating in the play-off.
The Foxes’ last involvement in European football saw them knocked out of the Uefa Cup in the first round by Red Star Belgrade in 2000.
Here is a quick look at the groups, last season’s runners-up Atletico Madrid face a tough group with five-time winners Bayern Munich, Eindhoven from the Netherlands and new-comers Rostov of Russian Federation.
Spurs’ draw also seemed relatively kind and in Monaco they will be facing a side they beat 4-1 at home in the Europa League group stages last season.
Hoops defender Kieran Tierney said: “It is the biggest competition and we are delighted to be there, but we are not just there to make up the numbers”.
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The first group games will take place on 15 September, with the group stage culminating on 16 December.
