The draw for the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage has thrown up a couple of interesting matches.
While some old and fierce rivalries will be rekindled, some players have been drawn to face their former teams.
Unarguably, the Barcelona-Bayern Munich pairing is the headline clash from Tuesday’s Champions League group stage draw held in Istanbul as Nigerian stars on parade all avoided what looks to be the group of death.
Inter Milan are also lined out in that tough Group C, with Czech club Viktoria Plzen given the rough end of the stick as the fourth side in that group.
Group A has double Nigerian interest as many will be keen to see how the Super Eagles duo of Victor Osimhen and Calvin Bassey will fare against each other and then the other teams in the group.
Liverpool are surely the favourites from this group despite present shaky form though Osimhen with Napoli and Bassey with Ajax will give the Reds a run for their money.
Interestingly, Bassey’s former club Rangers are also in Group A and it would be interesting to see how the 23-year-old fares against the Gers.
In Group F, the coast appears clear for reigning champions Real Madrid as they are billed to face RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk in what many see as an easy group.
The Ukrainian team will play their home matches in Warsaw due to the ongoing Russian invasion of the country.
For the other Premier League teams outside Liverpool, Spurs have the kindest draw on paper. They are in Group D alongside Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting Lisbon, and Marseille.
Chelsea line up against AC Milan, Salzburg, and Dinamo in Group E, while Manchester City have a potentially tricky group containing Copenhagen, Sevilla, and Dortmund.
According to the match schedules, the first set of games will be on September 6-7 and the last on November 1-2.
Full Champions League group stage draw
Group A: Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, Rangers.
Group B: Porto, Atletico, Bayer Leverkusen, Club Brugge.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Internazionale, Viktoria Plzen.
Group D: Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham Hotspur, Sporting Lisbon, Marseille.
Group E: AC Milan, Chelsea, Salzburg, Dinamo.
Group F: Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic.
Group G: Manchester City, Sevilla, Dortmund, Copenhagen.
Group H: PSG, Juventus, Benfica, Maccabi Haifa.
