Barcelona was hammered 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals two years ago, even with Lionel Messi.
And Bayern beat Barcelona 3-0 at home and away in the group stage last season, when the Spanish club had its worst European season since before Messi’s 17-year reign.
Barcelona was drawn against Bayern Munich again in the Champions League on Friday, as coach Xavi Hernndez’s team looks to avoid a second consecutive group-stage elimination after losing Messi to PSG.
Despite this, Barcelona has already signed former Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, a two-time FIFA player of the year who will now confront his former teammates despite financial issues that have limited the club’s ability to attract and retain players.
What a beautiful story that we were going to meet Barcelona with Robert Lewandowski, said Bayern striker Thomas Mller, who played with the Poland international for eight years.
Inter Milan is yet another previous champion in a group that has won a total of 14 European Cup or Champions League medals. Viktoria Plze of the Czech Republic is the fourth team in Group C, where only the top two teams advance to the round of 16.
Real Madrid has 14 titles to its name and will defend it against Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Celtic.
Shakhtar hosted Real Madrid in Kyiv in October, losing 5-0, but is presently unable to play in Ukraine owing to Russia’s armed invasion. Shakhtar will play their home games in Warsaw, Poland. All Russian teams have been forbidden from competing in UEFA tournaments.
Messi will try to win the European Cup for the second year in a row for Paris Saint-Germain, which has been drawn in a group with two-time champions Juventus and Benfica, as well as Maccabi Haifa.
After a sensational summer transfer, Manchester City’s prized purchase Erling Haaland will return to his former club Borussia Dortmund. This category also includes Sevilla and Copenhagen.
Coach Pep Guardiola’s club is the early favourite to win his first Champions League championship in his seventh season, having defeated Dortmund 2-1 in both legs in the 2020-21 season while Haaland was still on the team.
Liverpool and Rangers will meet in the Champions League for the first time. Their Group A, which includes Ajax and Napoli, promises to be tight in each stadium.
This is a true test, said Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp.
All of the teams have quality and pedigree, and I feel they can all win.
UEFA will have released a timetable by Sunday. The Champions League began on September 6 and closes on November 2, five weeks sooner than usual. This is because the World Cup begins on November 20 in Qatar.
Following six rounds of games in only eight weeks, there is a three-month hiatus before the round of 16 in February.
Because the first World Cup will be staged in Europe during the winter, the Champions League final will be place on June 10 at Istanbul’s Atatrk Olympic Stadium, which hosted the draw ceremony on Friday.
It is the most recent final scheduled since the inaugural European Cup final in 1956.
The complete Champions League group stage draw
Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, and Rangers are in Group A.
Porto, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, and Club Brugge are in Group B.
Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan, and V Plzen make up Group C.
Frankfurt, Tottenham Hotspur, Sporting CP, and Marseille make up Group D.
AC Milan, Chelsea, Salzburg, and Dinamo Zagreb are in Group E.
Real Madrid, Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Celtic are in Group F.
Man City, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, and Copenhagen are in Group G.
PSG, Juventus, Benfica, and Maccabi Haifa are in Group H.
Barcelona is in a difficult Champions League group alongside Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
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