The UEFA Champions League group stage draw delivered some fantastic matchups this season. Some of the biggest teams in Europe face tough challenges just to get out of their group, with European champions Real Madrid among them.
Madrid will have to face off against Borussia Dortmund in the group stage for the second straight season. BVB got the better of Los Merengues, but Madrid got stronger as the year went on and went on to lift the trophy at the end of the campaign. They’ll be joined in arguably the group of death by Tottenham Hotspur.
Premier League champions Chelsea have a tough test in Atlético Madrid, and they’re joined by AS Roma in a tough group. Group D is a fun one as well, with Barcelona and Juventus facing off.
Here, you can find the full results, plus analysis of the draws for the most popular teams in the competition.
Real Madrid to face Dortmund and Spurs
Photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images,Title holders Real Madrid have been handed a tough Champions League draw, with Zinedine Zidane’s men placed in Group H alongside Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur. All three sides have designs on making it into the knockout stages, meaning one will be left very disappointed come December’s last 16 draw. However, arguably the most unfortunate team to be placed in Group H is Cyprus’ APOEL Nicosia, who will surely be bringing up the rear in fourth place.
Most teams in Madrid’s position would be rather apprehensive at the prospect of facing Dortmund and Spurs, but this is Madrid we’re talking about. It’s a more difficult group than they’d have liked, undoubtedly, but they just don’t slip up in Europe. They’re hoping to win this tournament for the third time in a row, and, spearheaded by the age-defying Cristiano Ronaldo, they should still be able to make it through to the knockout stages as group winners.
Read Article >Champions League draw live results
Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty ImagesThe UEFA Champions League group stage draw is made on Thursday, when the 32 remaining teams will learn their path to a European championship. This year’s draw sets up some very interesting possibilities for potential groups of death.
Reigning champions Real Madrid are in Pot 1, along with fellow powerhouses and league champions Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Juventus. But the new rules that put league winners in Pot 1 ahead of teams with higher coefficients makes Pot 2 just as strong. That pot features Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and both Manchesters United and City.
Read Article >What you need to know about the Champions League draw
Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty ImagesQualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stage concluded on Wednesday evening, setting the 32 teams that will go into Thursday’s draw. Most of the top clubs in the world that you’d expect to see are back — Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and the like — but there are some new faces too.
APOEL Nicosia of Cyprus and NK Maribor of Slovenia are among the more obscure teams to make their way through Champions League qualifying, though both have been here before. The only new team to make their way through qualifying is Qarabağ FK of Azerbaijan. There’s one other newcomer — RB Leipzig — that qualified automatically through their position in the Bundesliga.
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