We have seen them before. One year we dumped them out. Last year they got the better of us. This year?
Arsenal faces familiar foes Borussia Dortmund in this year’s Champions League group stage as they did last year and their third in four years. Having seen off Besiktas in a draining qualifier, the Gunners face another tough Turkish challenger in Galatasaray and old team mate Emmanuel Eboue. Belgian league winner Anderlecht rounds out Group D. Not easy at all.
Premier League champs Man City came up with the toughest bruisers in Bundesliga behemoth Bayern Munich, a draining trip to far flung CSKA Moscow, and Ashley Cole’s new destination Roma in Group E. Liverpool in Group B tangle with la decima Real Madrid, Chelsea nemesis Basel, and Ludogorets which aren’t cough drops but Bulgaria’s top club the last three seasons.
The biggest beneficiaries: Chelsea drawing Schalke, Sporting Lisbon, and Celtic killing Maribor. Real UEFA conspiracy there, Jose!
This is how it looks:
Group A: Atlético Madrid, Juventus, Olympiakos, Malmo
Group B: Real Madrid, Basel, Liverpool, Ludogorets
Group C: Benfica, Zenit St. Petersburg, Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco
Group D: Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Galatasaray, Anderlecht
Group E: Bayern Munich, Man City, CSKA Moscow, Roma
Group F: Barcelona, PSG, Ajax, Apoel Nicosia
Group G: Chelsea, Schalke 04, Sporting, Maribor
Group H: FC Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Athletic Bilbao, BATE