The draw for the 2023/24 Champions League group stage has been made. Here is all you need to know about who the English teams are facing...
Group A – Manchester United
Embed from Getty ImagesBayern Munich – The German champions have been drawn up against Manchester United which will of course stir memories of the famous 1999 Champions League final. Bayern Munich will be hoping Harry Kane can lead the line against familiar opposition, as they look to do better than their disappointing quarter-final exit against Manchester City last season. Thomas Tuchel has recent experience of winning the Champions League, a triumph with Chelsea in 2020.
FC Copenhagen – The Danish champions had the tough task of playing Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City last season, and are now yet again faced with an uphill task. Their best result in their Champions League history was a place in the last 16 in the 2010/11 season, and a quarter-final place in the Europa League in 2019/20.
Galatasaray S.K – The Turkish outfit had an incredible European stint in 1999/00 and 2000/01, winning the UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Cup. Their recent Champions League history however has seen them fail to reach the knockout stages in their last four attempts, with their last group stage effort seeing them pick up just two points. In 2012/13 they reached the quarter-finals.
Group B – Arsenal
Embed from Getty ImagesSevilla FC – The La Liga side are known for their excellent exploits in European football. The holders of the Europa League have already taken Manchester City to penalties in this season’s Super Cup, and their record in the Europa League has been outstanding. Sevilla have won seven Europa League titles in their history, four more than any other side to play in the tournament. During their run to the final last season, they knocked out Manchester United, going on to beat Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the final.
PSV Eindhoven – The Dutch outfit earned their place at European football’s top table by convincingly beating Scottish side Rangers 7-3 on aggregate. PSV pipped Ajax to second place in last season’s Eredivisie to claim a slot in pot three, and they’ll fancy their chances of progressing into the knockouts if they can hold onto key midfielder Ibrahim Sangare. He has been the subject of a move to Nottingham Forest all summer, with Fulham also taking an interest.
RC Lens – The French new boys face a tough battle in group B. In Ligue 1, they have only picked up one point from their opening three games, including a 3-1 loss to PSG. A second place finish, just one point behind PSG last season was a phenomenal achievement, but losing key man Seko Fofana in the summer was a huge blow. They will be one to watch.
Group F – Newcastle United
Embed from Getty ImagesPSG – A mouthwatering group was kicked off with the French champions in pot one. Kylian Mbappe and co will be travelling to St. James Park in what will be an incredible occasion. It is the group of death for PSG, or can they put to rest their disappointing recent Champions League history?
Borussia Dortmund – Every fixture in this group is a blockbuster, with Eddie Howe and Newcastle facing trip to play in front of the yellow wall. Dortmund haven’t made it to a Champions League final since their crushing defeat to Bayern Munich at Wembley in 2013. Exciting players like Karim Adeyemi and Donyell Malen will be hoping to fire the Germans deep into the tournament.
AC Milan – A return to the San Siro for Sandro Tonali just months after leaving Milan in the summer. Newcastle will be going to three fabulous stadiums to play their away ties. Two wins from two for AC Milan to start their Serie A campaign and familiar faces in Olivier Giroud, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic will be hoping to have their say against the Toon. Rafael Leao was a shining star last season as Milan lost out to rivals Inter in the semi-final.
Group G – Manchester City
Embed from Getty ImagesRB Leipzig – A repeat of last season’s round of 16 tie would not be ideal for the Bundesliga outfit, having lost 8-1 on aggregate to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. A 7-0 second leg defeat at the Etihad Stadium sent Leipzig crashing out the competition, as City marched on to lift the trophy. A win and a defeat to Leipzig to start their domestic campaign off, they’ll be hoping for much better in their two ties with the Premier League champions this time round.
Red Star Belgrade – The team from Serbia were last in the group stages in 2019/20 after losing their qualifiers in the last three seasons. They famously won the competition is 1990/91. This season, they face a tough group but Belgrade is always a tough place for any team to go and a real test for Manchester City.
BSC Young Boys – The Swiss side won the league last season and have been rewarded with a challenging group. They famously beat the red half on Manchester 2-1 on the opening match day of the 2021/22 Champions League, and will be hoping for an equally astonishing result when they host Manchester City. Not favoured by many, however in football anything can happen.
