The Champions League 2022 Group Stage draws been completed in Istanbul, and four Premier League sides have learned their opponents for the tournament’s opening stages. That includes four teams from the Premier League, with champions Manchester City, joined by Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham. Qualifying might have been taking place since June, but the group draws were held in Istanbul yesterday evening. Real Madrid is defending champions, having defeated Liverpool in the final. At the same time, the Spanish outfit has also disposed of Manchester City and Chelsea en route to lifting the Champions League for the 14th time.
Chelsea is set to face Italian champions Milan, FC Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb. At the same time, Tottenham also received the favoured draw, with Antonio Conte’s men being drawn against Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting Lisbon and Marseille. Liverpool could be drawn into the same group as any other English team at any stage, but Liverpool had many difficult opponents available. Liverpool, meanwhile, is given arguably the most challenging task among English clubs, drawn with Ajax, Napoli and Rangers in Pool A. Liverpool would meet Rangers in the Champions League group stages, with the draw also setting up a direct reunion between Manchester City forward Erling Haaland and his former team Borussia Dortmund. Manchester City forward Erling Haaland scored 15 goals in 13 Champions League matches during his previous spells with Borussia Dortmund and Red Bull Salzburg. He will return to Germany to take on his former side in the Champions League group stages.
The opener means that this season’s top heavyweights will get a first look at their path to the final. Meanwhile, Tottenham and Real Madrid will be extremely happy with their group draws, while Group A should offer guaranteed entertainment (Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, and Rangers). The Road to Istanbul ends in Istanbul on June 2023. After making significant summer moves, two of the world’s top attackers will meet off against each other at their old clubs as Robert Lewandowski’s Barcelona takes on Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, Erling Haaland will also visit his former home as a member of Manchester City, who were paired with Borussia Dortmund. With Italian powerhouse Inter also included in Group C, Barca and Bayern are placed in one of the more challenging groups. The combinations of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Paris Saint-Germain with Benfica, Juventus, and Maccabi Haifa make for an intriguing draw as well.
Group A:
AFC Ajax; Liverpool FC; SSC Napoli; Rangers FC
Group B:
FC Porto; Atletico Madrid; Bayern Leverkusen; Club Brugge
Group C:
Bayern Munich; FC Barcelona; Inter Milan; FC Viktoria Plzen
Group D:
Eintracht Frankfurt; Tottenham Hotspurs; Sporting Club de Portugal; Olympique de Marseille
Group E:
AC Milan; Chelsea FC; RB Salzburg; GNK Dinamo Zagreb
Group F:
Real Madrid; RB Leipzig; FC Shakhtar Donetsk; Celtic FC
Group G:
Manchester City; Sevilla; Borussia Dortmund; Kobenhavn FC
Group H:
PSG; Juventus; Benfica; FC Maccabi Haifa
