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Last year’s semi-finalist Ajax completed the lineup for the group stage draw of the UEFA Champions League 2019-20. Their 2-0 win over APOEL coupled with wins for Club Brugge and Slavia Prague carried them into the draw that will be conducted in Monaco. Liverpool enter the draw as the defending champions having beaten Tottenham in the final last season. [caption id=“attachment_7247611” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
UEFA Champions League draw will be conducted for the group stage in Monaco. Reuters[/caption] Liverpool lead the English lineup of teams in the 32-club draw that also features Manchester City, Europa League winners Chelsea and Tottenham. A familiar group of national champions from Europe’s top leagues completes the top-seeded pot: Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and, back after a three-year gap, Zenit St. Petersburg. UEFA’s seeding for pots 2 to 4 grades teams by their Champions League and Europa League results in the previous five years. Last season, Liverpool and Ajax both emerged from pot No. 3. Of 11 former European champions in the draw, four will come from the pot of second-seeded teams: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax and Benfica. Third-seeded teams include Salzburg, which is entering the group stage for the first time in 24 years. Atalanta from Italy makes its Champions League debut as a dangerous outsider among low-ranked teams. Leipzig and Lille, the French runner-up, are also teams from Europe’s big five leagues which landed in pot No. 4. Leipzig can be in the same group as Salzburg due to UEFA deciding two years ago there was no conflict of ownership interest after Red Bull cut some ties to the Austrian club. UEFA restrictions in the draw prevent teams from the same country being in the same group, and keeps Russian and Ukrainian teams apart due to political tensions. That rule was imposed in 2014 after Russia annexed the Crimea region from Ukraine. Draw pots Pot 1: Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester City, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Zenit St. Petersburg. Pot 2: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Shakhtar Donetsk, Tottenham, Ajax, Benfica. Pot 3: Lyon, Bayer Leverkusen, Salzburg, Olympiakos, Club Brugge, Valencia, Inter Milan, Dinamo Zagreb. Pot 4: Lokomotiv Moscow, Genk, Galatasaray, Leipzig, Slavia Prague, Red Star Belgrade, Atalanta, Lille.
UEFA Champions League Draw Highlights: Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk wins the Player of the Season Award
Get all the latest updates and LIVE news from the 32-team UEFA Champions League draw for the group stage of the 2019-20 season.
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That’s it from us folks!
With the Champions League groups decided, we have just a few more weeks of patient waiting to do until the action begins. If you’re ever in a spot of bother and can’t watch your favourite team in action, make sure to tune into Firstpost, where we’ll be carrying reports, analytical pieces and even a couple of live blogs. Until then, good bye and goodnight.
Virgil Van Dijk is the winner of the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award
The Dutch centre-back enjoyed a very successful season at the back for Liverpool and was a vital part of the Champions League-winning team. He beats out fellow nominees Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the award.
Lucy Bronze is the winner of the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award
Bronze won the award, beating out fellow nominees Ada Hegerberg and Amandine Henry after a remarkable treble-winning domestic season, where she lifted the Champions League, domestic and domestic cup with Lyon.
Borussia Dortmund share the UEFA equal game award with Burnley fan Scott Cunliffe
Dortmund have been involved in fighting racism on several levels within the clubs supporter base, while Burnley fan Scott Cunliffe ran to every Burnley away match to raise money for charity.
And here are the final groups:
Group A: PSG, Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray
Group B: Bayern, Spurs, Olympiacos, Red Star
Group C: City, Shakhtar, Dinamo Zagreb, Atalanta
Group D: Juventus, Atletico, Leverkusen, Lokomotiv Moskva
Group E: Liverpool, Napoli, Salzburg, Genk
Group F: Barcelona, Dortmund, Inter, Salvia Praha
Group G: Zenit, Benfica, Lyon, Leipzig
Group H: Chelsea, Ajax, Valencia, LOSC
Lionel Messi gets the UEFA Forward of the Season award!
And we’re done with Pot 3!
FC Salzburg have the unenviable pleasure of facing Liverpool and Napoli in Group E, while Lyon enter Group G, Dinamo Zagreb join Manchester City and Shakhtar Donetsk. Olympiacos will play in Group B with Bayern and Tottenham.
Valencia will face Chelsea and Ajax in Group H, while Bayer Leverkusen will face Juventus and Atletico Madrid
via GIPHYGroup F is shaping up to be a real nail-biter, with Inter Milan being drawn alongside Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona
via GIPHYFrenkie De Jong wins UEFA Midfielder of the Season!
It’s a repeat of last year’s Champions League round of 16, as Juventus and Atletico Madrid are drawn together
via GIPHYShakhtar Donetsk get Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in Group C, while Liverpool run into familiar foes Napoli in Group E
via GIPHYNeymar’s former club vs his future club? Real Madrid will face Paris Saint-Germain in Group A
via GIPHYBorussia Dortmund get a bit of a raw deal, being drawn with Barcelona in Group F, while Benfica will face Zenit in Group G
via GIPHYTottenham get group B with Bayern Munich, while last season’s surprise package Ajax will face Chelsea in Group H
via GIPHYVirgil Van Dijk wins the UEFA defender of the season award!
Zenit get Group G and Europa League winners Chelsea get Group H
via GIPHYLiverpool and Barcelona get E and F respectively
via GIPHYCristiano Ronaldo and Co go to Group D
via GIPHYManchester City headlines Group C
via GIPHYIt’s B for Bayern
via GIPHYThe first-team drawn is Paris Saint-Germain, who will play in Group A
via GIPHYHere are the pots for tonight’s draw:
Pot 1: Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester City, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Zenit St. Petersburg.
Pot 2: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Shakhtar Donetsk, Tottenham, Ajax, Benfica.
Pot 3: Lyon, Bayer Leverkusen, Salzburg, Olympiakos, Club Brugge, Valencia, Inter Milan, Dinamo Zagreb.
Pot 4: Lokomotiv Moscow, Genk, Galatasaray, Leipzig, Slavia Prague, Red Star Belgrade, Atalanta, Lille.
Umm…
Petr Cech reminisces about his 2012 Champions League win with Chelsea
“I had lost the final once, so you never want to experience that again. You have to have the confidence that you know you can do it,” he says.
A partial transcript of Eric Cantona’s philosophical rant
Soon science will not only be able to slow down the ageing of cells, it will fix cells and so we will become eternal. Only accidents, crimes, wars will kill us but unfortunately crimes and wars will multiply. I love football. Thank you.
Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage of the Champions League draw!
The group stage of the Champions League will be decided tonight, with some of the top teams in Europe included in the draw. The Champions League final will take place in Turkey this time around, a country that was the stage for one of the most incredible matches of the competition’s history, so this year’s edition is already quite promising! Stay tuned for LIVE updates!