Galatasaray will kick off their first UEFA Champions League marketing campaign in 4 years in a robust group that includes German heavyweights Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
Thursday’s draw for this season’s Champions League positioned the Turkish Süper Lig reigning champions in Group A, which may even see them face FC Copenhagen, the Danish champions.
Galatasaray will look to make a shock within the group that may see Bayern Munich’s new signing Harry Kane return to England. Man United beat Bayern within the 1999 remaining after an injury-time comeback.
Paris Saint-Germain and its star ahead Kylian Mbappe landed within the hardest group with former champions AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund, plus Saudi-owned Newcastle.
Newcastle are showing within the Champions League for the primary time in 20 years and their lack of current pedigree in Europe’s elite membership competitors meant they have been left lurking dangerously among the many sides in pot 4 for the draw.
Having held on to Mbappe, French champions PSG will probably be anticipated to advance to the final 16 however Newcastle will hope to complete forward of Dortmund and a Milan group that obtained to the semi-finals final season.
Holders Manchester City, in the meantime, may hardly have requested for a kinder draw as they may tackle RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys in Group G.
Pep Guardiola’s aspect may be anticipated to rack up objectives in opposition to the champions of Serbia and Switzerland, whereas City hammered Leipzig 8-1 on mixture within the final 16 final season.
Back within the Champions League for the primary time since 2016/17, Arsenal will face Europa League winners Sevilla, former European Cup winners PSV Eindhoven and Lens of France in Group B.
Real Madrid, the report 14-time champions who gained the trophy in 2022, have been drawn with Italian champions Napoli in Group C, which additionally options Braga of Portugal and debutants Union Berlin.
La Liga champions Barcelona was drawn in Group H with Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Royal Antwerp, one other Champions League debutant which final performed within the competitors within the outdated European Cup in 1957.
Last season’s finalist Inter Milan are in Group D and can play Portuguese champions Benfica – which it beat within the quarterfinals – plus Red Bull Salzburg and Real Sociedad.
Feyenoord, the 1970 European Cup winner, landed in Group E with the group it beat in that remaining, Celtic, plus Atletico Madrid and Lazio.
Teams from 15 completely different nations have been within the draw, together with 14 former European champions who’ve mixed to win 48 titles within the competitors’s 68-year historical past.
Games begin Sept. 19 and group-stage play ends Dec. 13.
The knockout stage begins in February and reaches the ultimate at Wembley Stadium in London on June 1.
Meanwhile, the ceremony in Monaco on Thursday additionally noticed Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Spain’s World Cup-winning star Aitana Bonmati profitable the UEFA Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year prizes.
Norway striker Haaland scored 52 objectives in 53 video games to assist City win the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup, whereas Bonmati helped Barcelona win the Women’s Champions League after which impressed Spain to World Cup glory earlier this month.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
