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Manchester United and Liverpool have faced severe tests in the group stage of the Champions League.
The three-time winner United will have to come out of a group that includes last year’s runners-up PSG and semi-finalist RB Leipzig, as well as newcomers to Turkish competition İstanbul Başakşehir.
Liverpool, winner of a sixth crown in 2019, will face that year’s semi-finalists Ajax Amsterdam, Italian Atalanta, who reached the quarter-finals in 2020, and Danish rookie Midtjylland.
Manchester City (Porto, Olympiacos and Marseille) and Chelsea (Sevilla, Krasnodar, Rennes) seem to have slightly more manageable tasks.
The official result of the #UCLdraw! 🤩
The most exciting match of the group stage? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/d7ynuEjPq3
– #UCLdraw (@ Champions League) October 1, 2020
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will renew their rivalry in the Champions League after their teams Barcelona and Juventus, who met in the 2015 final, tied in Group G alongside Dynamo Kiev and Hungarian Ferencvaros.
The draw, conducted at a television studio in Geneva, produced several other high-profile clashes.
Defending champion Bayern Munich must take on Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid after they were tied in Group A alongside Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow.
Group B will see Real Madrid, which holds a record 13 European Cup titles, take on Inter Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Zenit Saint Petersburg are the main favorites in Group F, where they will face Borussia Dortmund, Lazio and Club Brugge.
Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski was the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, while Chelsea’s Danish forward Pernille Harder (formerly Wolfsburg) was the Player of the Year.
Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne was the only non-Bayern representative to win a men’s singles award, being voted midfielder of the year.
The first matches of the group stage of the Champions League will take place on October 20 and 21, and the schedule will be confirmed on Friday night.
RTÉ Sport will broadcast a game live each match week on Tuesdays.
The 2021 Champions League final will be held at Istanbul’s Ataturk Stadium on May 29.
Group A: Bayern Munich, Atlético de Madrid, Salzburg, Lokomotiv Moscow
B Group: Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Borussia Mönchengladbach
Group C: Porto, Manchester City, Olympiacos, Marseille
Group D: Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta, Midtjylland
Group E: Seville, Chelsea, Krasnodar, Rennes
Group F: Zenit, Dortmund, Lazio, Bruges
Group G: Juventus, Barcelona, Dynamo Kiev, Ferencváros
Group H: Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Leipzig, Istanbul Basaksehir
Group stage dates (Tuesday / Wednesday)
Matchday 1: October 20/21
Matchday 2: October 27/28
Matchday 3: November 3/4
Matchday 4: 24/25 November
Matchday 5: December 1/2
Matchday 6: December 8/9
UEFA AWARDS
Male Player of the Season: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Coach of the season: Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich)
Goalkeeper of the season: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)
Defender: Joshua Kimmich
Midfielder: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Forward: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Player of the Season: Pernille Harder (Chelsea, ex Wolfsburg)
Coach of the season: Jean-Luc Vasseur (Lyon)
Goalkeeper of the season: Sarah Bouhaddi (Lyon)
Defender: Wendie Renard (Lyon)
Midfielder: Dénifer Marozsan (Lyon)
Forward: Pernille Harder
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