Utd handed smooth return, Arsenal play Bayern again

Manchester City, cursed with bad luck in the Champions League, suffered another horror draw in Monaco but there was better news for Manchester United, who have a relatively easy passage to the knock-out stages.

City have to face last season’s runners-up Juventus as well as Spanish club Sevilla, who won the Europa League in May, and tough German competitors Borussia Monchengladbach in Group D.
In contrast United, who came through the qualifying stage by beating Club Bruges, face PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow and Wolfsburg in Group B.

Louis van Gaal’s men overcame the Belgian side 7-1 on aggregate in their play-off and have been rewarded with trips to Holland, Russia and Germany.

United, who are making their return to the Champions League after a season out of the competition, are undefeated in two games against CSKA and beat Wolfsburg twice when they met in the 2009-10 group stage. City, meanwhile, have never scored more than once in their three meetings with Juventus, and will come up against transfer target Paul Pogba, providing he remains in Turin.

Arsenal also have a problematic group, facing Bayern Munich who have beaten them twice in the last three seasons of European football.

They are in the same Group F as Olympiacos, the Greek club who are mired in serious match-fixing allegations which UEFA have ignored as far as their participation in Europe’s elite club competition is concerned. The Gunners, who were knocked out at the last 16 stage by Monaco last season, will also face Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb.

Champions Chelsea will also be confident of progressing through a group stage containing Porto, whom manager Jose Mourinho led to an unlikely Champions League triumph in 2004, along with Dynamo Kiev and Maccabi Tel-Aviv.

Like every team in the group stage, the Blues’ first game will be on either September 15 or 16. Holders Barcelona face trips to Germany, Italy and Ukraine to face Bayer Leverkusen, Roma and BATE Borisov in Group E, while their La Liga rivals Real Madrid take on Paris Saint-Germain, Shakhtar Donestk and Malmo in Group A.

Group C is made up of Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray and Astana, while Zenit, Valencia, Lyon, Gent make Group H.

HOW THEY WERE DRAWN
Group A: Paris St Germain, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Malmo
Group B: PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, VfL Wolfsburg
Group C: Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray, Astana
Group D: Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Monchengladbach
Group E: Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma, BATE Borisov
Group F: Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Olympiakos, Dinamo Zagreb
Group G: Chelsea, Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Group H: Zenit St Petersburg, Valencia, Olympique Lyon, Gent