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Cristiano Ronaldo (Photo by Valerio Pennicino / Getty Images)
Lionel messi Y Cristiano Ronaldo they will face off in an appetizing clash in this season’s Champions League after Barcelona and Juventus were placed in the same group in Thursday’s draw.
Messi and Ronaldo will resume the rivalry they developed when the Portuguese superstar was at Real Madrid. Between them they have won 11 of the last 12 Ballon d’Or.
The two heavyweights were tied in Group G along with Ukraine’s Dynamo Kiev and Ferencvaros, the Hungarian club returning to the group stage for the first time in a quarter century.
“The game against Barcelona will be a great challenge and it will be fascinating because it faces those who, in my opinion, are still the two best players in the world,” said Juventus Vice President Pavel Nedved.
Meanwhile, defeated 2020 finalist Paris Saint-Germain will have a chance to exact revenge on Manchester United, who toppled the French club in the past 16 two seasons ago.
PSG will also face RB Leipzig in Group H. Both teams met in last season’s semi-finals in Lisbon in August, where Paris won 3-0 before losing to Bayern Munich in their first final appearance.
Rounding out the group is Istanbul Basaksehir, who is participating in the tournament proper for the first time.
English Premier League champion Liverpool, who won the Champions League in 2019, will face Ajax, as well as Denmark’s Atalanta and Midtjylland in Group D.
Champion Bayern will meet Atlético de Madrid and will also have a short trip across the Austrian border to face Salzburg in Group A. Lokomotiv Moscow is the other team in the section.
“The pressure is on you in the Champions League when you are the champion,” said Thomas Mueller of Bayern.
Manchester City will face Porto, Marseille and Olympiakos in Group C as they continue their quest for a first European Cup.
Other notable matchups will see 13-time European champions Real Madrid take on Inter Milan in Group B and Chelsea take on newcomer Rennes, as well as Europa League champion Sevilla in Group E.
Chelsea signed goalkeeper Edouard Mendy from Rennes last week.
The group stage begins on October 20 and the six rounds of games will be concentrated in eight weeks on a schedule that is even more crowded than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic.
UEFA will announce the match schedule on Friday, when the Europa League draw also takes place.
This season’s finale is scheduled for May 29 in Istanbul, which initially hosted last season’s finale before UEFA was forced to change plans due to the health crisis.
UEFA has said that teams playing in the Champions League and Europa League will be able to open stadiums up to 30 percent of their capacity, subject to approval by local authorities.
Visiting fans will not be allowed “until further notice,” but the announcement that the public can return will be welcomed after last season’s Champions League and Europa League were completed behind closed doors.
It remains to be seen whether spectators will be able to attend the group stage matches.
2020/21 Champions League group stages following Thursday’s draw in Nyon:
Group A: Bayern Munich, Atlético de Madrid, Salzburg, Lokomotiv Moscow
B Group: Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Borussia Moenchengladbach
Group C: Porto, Manchester City, Olympiakos, Marseille
Group D: Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta, Midtjylland
Group E: Seville, Chelsea, Krasnodar, Rennes
Group F: Zenit Saint Petersburg, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio, Club Brugge
Group G: Juventus, Barcelona, Dynamo Kiev, Ferencvaros
Group H: Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, RB Leipzig, Istanbul Basaksehir
