Champions League 2022-23, Group Stage draw: Barcelona drawn with Bayern Munich; Real Madrid to face RB Leipzig
Europe's top football clubs on Thursday discovered their Group Stage rivals for the Champions League 2022-23 as the race to Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, gets underway.
FollowEurope's top football clubs on Thursday discovered their Group Stage rivals for the Champions League 2022-23 as the race to Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, gets underway. 32 club's fate was sealed at the draw this year, and it will be a straight sprint with the six group games all squeezed into under two months because of the Qatar World Cup.
Reigning champions Real Madrid, who lifted the trophy last season for the 14th time in their history, have been drawn in Group F alongside RB Leipzig, Shaktar Donetsk and Celtic. The Los Blancos' superstar Karim Benzema will remain the player to watch out for after the Frenchman's memorable hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Chelsea, as well as contributing essential goals against City both home and away last season. In the end, Benzema netted 15 times during the Champions League 2021-22 campaign - more than anybody else - as he won the competition for the fifth time. The 34-year-old has 325 goals now for Real Madrid and counting.
Last year's runners-up Liverpool will be gearing up for another go at Europe's top prize after coming so close last season. The Reds have been drawn in Group A alongisde Ajax, Napoli and Rangers. Jurgen Klopp's side has gone big on the Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez to keep up with Manchester City and Erling Haaland, and their new recruit will be the Reds' player to watch out for this season.
Manchester City's sensational striker Erling Haaland will face his former club Borussia Dortmund as the Premier League champions find themselves in Group G alongside the German giants. The other two teams to complete the group are Sevilla and FC Copenhagen.
Group C is the most widely spoken about draw that features Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Plzen. Robert Lewandowski will face his former club after the Polish superstar endured a high-profile transfer to Camp Nou this summer.
Chelsea has experienced a summer transition, and they will play in their first Champions League season without Roman Abramovich since 2003. The Blues have been drawn in Group E along with AC Milan, Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb.
At Tottenham, where some wise summer transfer activity has put Antonio Conte and his club in a position to contend for long-overdue hardware, things are undoubtedly moving forward. The north London club has been drawn with Frankfurt, Sporting CP and Marseille.
The star-studded Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), which includes sensational players like Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar in their attack department, will hope to reach the summit of the European podium this season. Christophe Galtier's men have been drawn against Juventus, Benfica and M. Haifa.
Here's a snapshot of the Champions League 2022-23, Group Stage draw results:
Group A
Ajax
Liverpool
Napoli
Rangers
Group B
Porto
Atletico Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen
Club Brugge
Group C
Bayern Munich
Barcelona
Inter Milan
Viktoria Plzen
Group D
Eintracht Frankfurt
Tottenham Hotspur
Sporting Lisbon
Marseille
Group E
AC Milan
Chelsea
FC Salzburg
Dinamo Zagreb
Group F
Real Madrid
RB Leipzig
Shakhtar Donetsk
Celtic FC
Group G
Manchester City
Sevilla
Borussia Dortmund
FC Copenhagen
Group H
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
Juventus
Benfica
Maccabi Haifa
When will the fixtures be?
1. September 6 and 7, 2022
2. September 13 and 14, 2022
3. October 4 and 5, 2022
4. October 11 and 12, 2022
5. October 25 and 26, 2022
6. November 1 and 2, 2022
UEFA Awards 2021-22: Here's the list of winners
UEFA Women's Coach of the Year: England boss Sarina Wiegman, after leading the Lionesses to Euro 2022 glory, bagged the award
UEFA Men's Coach of the Year: Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti, who led the Los Blancos to their 35th La Liga title and 14th Champions League win
UEFA Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas - Barcelona, Spain
UEFA Men's Player of the Year: Karim Benzema - Real Madrid, France
