Three Anglo-German duels and a repeat of a quarterfinal match from two seasons ago have been set up following draws for the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League group stage which took place this evening in Monaco.
Former European champions Liverpool, making a return to the elite competition, were also handed an interesting draw against reigning champions Real Madrid in Group B, a duel which Liverpool have won the last three encounters.
Group A comprises of four domestic champions, with last season’s losing finalist Atletico Madrid joined in the group by Italian champions Juventus, Greek champions Olympiakos and Swedish champions Malmö FF.
Barcelona and Paris St. Germain face-off in Group F in a repeat of their quarterfinal clash two seasons ago which Barça edged on away goals, with Dutch champions Ajax and Cypriot club APOEL Nicosia making up the group.
Group E sees 2013 champions Bayern Munich coming up against Manchester City for the third season in succession, while new Bayern defender Mehdi Benatia will have the opportunity to face former club AS Roma in the group.
The other Anglo-German rivalries being renewed are Arsenal facing Borussia Dortmund for the third time in four seasons in Group D while Chelsea come up against Schalke 04 in Group G having kept a cleansheet against the German side in their previous four meetings.
The group stage will run from September 16-17 until December 9-10, with the top two clubs from each group progressing to the knockout stage while the third placed clubs go into the Europa League.
The final of this season’s competition will take place on June 6, 2015 in the 74,000-capacity Olympia Stadion in Berlin, Germany.
Group A
Atletico Madrid
Juventus
Olympiakos
Malmö FF
Group B
Real Madrid
FC Basel
Liverpool
Ludogorets
Group C
Benfica SL
Zenit St. Petersburg
Bayer Leverkusen
AS Monaco
Group D
Arsenal FC
Borussia Dortmund
Galatasaray SK
Anderlecht
Group E
Bayern Munich
Manchester City
CSKA Moscow
AS Roma
Group F
Barcelona
PSG
AFC Ajax
APOEL Nicosia
Group G
Chelsea
Schalke 04
Sporting Lisbon
Maribor
Group H
FC Porto
Shakhtar Donetsk
Athletic Bilbao
BATE Borisov