Champions League draw: Pep Guardiola set for Barcelona return with Manchester City as Leicester City get gentle group
The Calatan suffered defeat to the five-time European Cup winners last season
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Your support makes all the difference.Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have been pitted against his former club Barcelona in one of many fascinating match-ups to emerge from the Champions League group stage draw.
The Calatan suffered defeat to the five-time European Cup winners in 2015 to deny him a third Champions League title as a manager. City and Barca are joined in Group C by Borussia Monchengladbach and Scottish champions Celtic.
Premier League holders Leicester City, gifted a gentler route owing to their Pot 1 status, will face Porto, Club Brugge and Copenhagen in Group G upon their maiden campaign in European football's platinum competition.
Arsenal's hopes of emerging from the group stage, meanwhile, were dented when Paris Saint-Germain were revealed as their primary competition in Group A. FC Basel and Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets are expected to fight it out for the third-place berth, which automatically ensures safe passage into the Europa League.
Elsewhere, north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur are set to face CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen and Monaco in Group E as Mauricio Pochettino prepares for his first Champions League campaign as a manager.
Last season's defeated finalists Atletico Madrid will have to overcome Bayern Munich, managed by Carlo Ancelotti, if they are to win Group D - which also includes PSV Eindhoven and Russian side Rostov - while holders Real Madrid enjoyed a more favourable draw.
Zinedine Zidane's 11-time European champions will come up against Bundesliga runners-up Borussia Dortmund while Sporting Lisbon and Legia Warsaw pose considerable threats in Group F also. Juventus have been drawn with Europa League winners Sevilla, Lyon and Dinamo Zagreb in Group H while Group B houses Benfica, Napoli, Dynamo Kyiv and Besiktas.
The draw in full:
Group A
| Paris Saint-Germain |
| Arsenal |
| Basel |
| Ludogorets |
Group B
| Benfica |
| Napoli |
| Dynamo Kyiv |
| Besiktas |
Group C
| Barcelona |
| Manchester City |
| Borussia Monchengladbach |
| Celtic |
Group D
| Bayern Munich |
| Atletico Madrid |
| PSV Eindhoven |
| Rostov |
Group E
| CSKA Moscow |
| Bayer Leverkusen |
| Tottenham Hotspur |
| Monaco |
Group F
| Real Madrid |
| Borussia Dortmund |
| Sporting Lisbon |
| Legia Warsaw |
Group G
| Leicester City |
| Porto |
| Club Brugge |
| Copenhagen |
Group H
| Juventus |
| Sevilla |
| Lyon |
| Dinamo Zagreb |
Please note: Placings within the group may change to dictate fixture timings.
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