Just a few months after Bayern Munich was crowned UEFA Champions League winners, a new competition will kick off across several European countries.
Thursday saw 32 European clubs learn its fate for the 2020-21 UCL group stage which is slated to kick off on Oct. 20-21. A full schedule of group stage draws will be made available on Friday, but here’s a template of dates already decided.
A pair of old rivals will meet in Group G with Juventus and Barcelona set to go head-to-head. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will meet once again with both clubs seeking a spot in the knockout round. A pair of surging American talents will also square off as newest Barcelona arrival Sergino Dest will meet U.S. Men’s National Team teammate Weston McKennie.
Manchester United was also handed a tough draw as well with defending UCL finalists Paris Saint-Germain opposing them in Group H. The two sides last met in the tournament in the 2019 Round of 16 with the Red Devils ousting the Ligue 1 giants at the Parc Des Princes. They will also be joined by RB Leipzig and Istanbul Basaksehir.
Defending champions Bayern Munich was paired with La Liga side Atletico Madrid while Real Madrid also earned a favorable draw in Group B. Manchester City should be favorites to top Group C after being drawn with Portuguese winners Porto.
Here are all eight of the UCL group stage groups:
Group A: Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg, Lokomotiv Moscow.
Group B: Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Borussia Monchengladbach.
Group C: Porto, Manchester City, Olympiakos, Marseille.
Group D: Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta, Midtjylland.
Group E: Sevilla, Chelsea, Krasnodar, Stade Rennes.
Group F: Zenit St. Petersburg, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio, Club Brugge.
Group G: Juventus, Barcelona, Dynamo Kiev, Ferencvaros.
Group H: Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, RB Leipzig, Istanbul Basaksehir.