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UEFA Champions League

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SENDS RONALDO BACK TO OLD TRAFFORD

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GROUP A                                             GROUP B   

Atletico Madrid (Spain)                                           Barcelona (Spain)

Borussia Dortmund (Germany)                               Tottenham (England)

Monaco (France)                                                     PSV Eindhoven (Holland)

Club Brugge  (Belgium)                                           Inter Milan (Italy)

GROUP C                                             GROUP D

Paris Saint-Germain (France)                                   Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia)

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Napoli (Italy)                                                              Porto (Portugal)

Liverpool (England)                                                    Schalke (Germany)

Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)                                       Galatasaray (Turkey)

GROUP E                                             GROUP F  

Bayern Munich (Germany)                                          Manchester City (England)

Benfica (Portugal)                                                         Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)

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Ajax (Holland)                                                               Lyon (France)

AEK Athens (Greece)                                                    Hoffenheim (Germany)

GROUP G                                            GROUP H

Real Madrid (Spain)                                                     Juventus (Italy)

Roma (Italy)                                                                  Manchester United (England)

CSKA Moscow (Russia)                                               Valencia (Spain)

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Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic)                                   Young Boys (Switzerland)

Cristiano Ronaldo is heading back to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, the club with which he first won the UEFA Champions League in 2008. That is one of the talking points as the group draw for the season was conducted Thursday evening.

He is probably programmed to play against his former coach, Jose Mourinho while both were in Real Madrid.

Ronaldo’s Juventus are in Group H alongside Manchester United, Spanish Valencia and Young Boys of Switzerland.

Meanwhile, another English Premiership force, Tottenham Hotspurs have a tough task to make it through to the last 16 after they were drawn in Group B with Barcelona.

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Manchester City have an easier route to the knockout stages with Shakhtar Donetsk being their possible toughest opponents in Group F.

But this season has presented a scenario that will put his side under more scrutiny.

As well as Barcelona, who Tottenham have never beaten, Pochettino’s side will play PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan.

Premier League champions City have been rewarded for their efforts last season. Shakhtar Donetsk, the champions of Ukraine, will be their biggest and most challenging opponent in Group F.

Liverpool will need to produce some of the performances that got them to the final last season if they are to make it through a hostile and demanding group stage.

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In Group C, Jurgen Klopp’s team will take on PSG, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade.

Former Real Madrid midfielder Kaka and Manchester United favourite Diego Forlan conducted Thursday’s draw at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

The first round of group stage fixtures will start on Tuesday, September 18.

The final will be played on June 1 at Atletico Madrid’s home, the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid.

 

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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