No team have defended the Champions League since its inception in 1992 but Real Madrid’s Welsh forward Gareth Bale hopes his side can become the first to do so, with the final being staged in his home city of Cardiff.
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This will not be the first time Guardiola has returned to Barcelona – that came with Bayern Munich in 2015.
“Pep knows the group very well – obviously Barcelona but also Borussia Monchengladbach from his time in Germany”.
Guardiola, a European Cup victor with Barca as a player in 1992 before twice guiding the Catalan giants to the Champions League title in 2009 and 2011, will also come up against Borussia Moenchengladbach and Celtic in Group C.
“It is not a nightmare draw because we are in a wonderful competition – but it is a very tough group”, City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain said.
It’s yet another tough draw for the Citizens, who have had to share groups with Juventus and Bayern Munich in recent seasons.
Real will face Borussia Dortmund, Sporting and Legia Warsaw – a trio of clubs which most would expect Madrid to overcome and finish in the top two of Group F.
Fresh from their remarkable Premier League title triumph last season, Leicester will appear in Europe’s elite competition for the first time.
So yeah, this isn’t an easy group at all.
It’s a similar story for Arsenal, who likely won’t have welcomed the sight of Paris Saint-Germain in Group A. Yet, the Ligue 1 giants are under new management with Unai Emery succeeding Laurent Blanc.
“Once again I say we are underdogs”, said Ranieri.
Leicester City, the current Premier League champions, have been handed a favourable-looking draw, in which they will play Porto, Club Brugge and FC Copenhagen in their debut campaign. “For this reason we must fight for everything”.
Right-back Gaber, meanwhile, has featured three times for Basel since joining the club from Zamalek in the close season, playing a full 90 minutes in two league games and a single cup fixture.
For the second season in a row, Massimiliano Allegri’s side will face Spanish side Sevilla, as well as Lyon and Dinamo Zagreb.
Tottenham last played in the Champions League in 2010-11, reaching the quarterfinals, while CSKA Moscow made a group stage exit in 2013-14.
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Juve’s Italian counterparts Napoli are in Group B with Benfica, Dynamo Kiev and Besiktas.
