MX23RW : Tuesday, October 20 16:22:27| >> :120:12149:12149:

Liverpool draw Ajax while Manchester United handed tough assignment in Champions League group stage

Liverpool draw Ajax while Manchester United handed tough assignment in Champions League group stage
© Reuters
The group stage will also see Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi renew their rivalry.

Liverpool will take on Ajax, Atalanta and Midtjylland in the group stages of the Champions League, which will also see Barcelona face Juventus following Thursday’s draw in Geneva.

The Premier League champions, who have won the European Cup six times, were one of the eight top seeds and went into Group D.

European heavyweights Barca, thrashed 8-2 by eventual champions Bayern Munich in last season’s one-off quarter-finals, were drawn together with Juve in Group G – which will see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo renew their rivalry.

Group G is completed by Dynamo Kyiv and Hungarian side Ferencvaros.

Manchester City have been drawn alongside Porto, Olympiacos and Marseille in Group C.

Manchester United are in Group H, where they will take on last season’s runners-up Paris St Germain as well as RB Leipzig and Istanbul Basaksehir.

Former United full-back Rafael da Silva signed for the Reds’ Turkish opponents last month and he is relishing a return to Old Trafford.

The Brazilian wrote on Twitter (orafa2): “Back to where everything start dreams come true.”

In Group E, Chelsea have been drawn alongside Europa League winners Sevilla, Krasnodar and Rennes.

Holders Bayern Munich are in Group A along with Atletico Madrid, Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow.

Group B will see Real Madrid, who hold a record 13 European Cup titles, face Inter Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Monchengladbach.

Zenit St Petersburg are top seeds in Group F, where they will take on Borussia Dortmund, Lazio and Club Brugge.

The opening Champions League group fixtures will take place on October 20 and 21, with the scheduling set to be confirmed on Friday evening.

The 2021 Champions League final is set to be held at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul on May 29.

During the ceremony, Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was named Champions League men’s midfielder of the season.

“It’s really nice. In the Champions League you play against the best players in world and I want to compete with them,” the Belgium international said in a broadcast on the UEFA website.

ID:416741:

Click here for more stories about Lionel Messi

Click here for more stories about Manchester United

Share this article now:
Did you know...?
Latest Sports Video
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.

rhs 2.0
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Everton5410147713
2Aston Villa44001221012
3Liverpool53111313010
4Leicester CityLeicester530212849
5Arsenal53028629
6Wolverhampton WanderersWolves530257-29
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs522115878
8Chelsea522113948
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham521211747
10Leeds UnitedLeeds52129907
11Manchester CityMan City42117707
12Southampton521289-17
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle521279-27
14Crystal Palace521268-27
15Manchester UnitedMan Utd4202912-36
16Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton5113911-24
17West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom5023513-82
18Burnley401338-51
19Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd501427-51
20Fulham5014412-81

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!