Champions Bayern Munich get manageable Champions League Group but Man Utd are in group of death

Photo: UEFA Champions League Trophy (Getty Images)

Bayern Munich secured a favourable draw as they look to defend the UEFA Champions League title they secured only a few weeks ago. In what is the fastest turnaround in the history of the competition, the German champions will face Atletico Madrid, Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow in Group A in the first round of the 2020-21 season.

In Group B, Real Madrid, who have won the competition the most of any club, will face a powerful Inter Milan team along with Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Monchengladbach.

Manchester City who lost out in the semifinal stages last season and will begin their quest for Europe’s elite prize against Porto, Olympiakos and Marseille in Group C.

EPL champions Liverpool will not be frightened by Ajax, Atalanta and Midtjylland and will expect to advance from Group D.

Europa League champions Sevilla will go up against big spending Chelsea, FK Krasnodar and Rennes in Group E.

In Group F, Borussia Dortmund will start favourites to top the group over the likes of Zenit St Petersburg, Lazio and Bruges.

Group G promises fireworks as European heavyweights clash. Italian champions Juventus with Cristanio Ronaldo will face Spanish giants Barcelona with Lionel Messi in what will be the most anticipated games of the first round this season. Dynamo Kyiv and Ferencvaros are the other two teams in the group and are expected to be fighting for the minor places.

Group H has three big hitters in Paris St-Germain, Manchester United and RB Leipzig with Istanbul Basaksehir being the fourth team in the group. This group has already been the declared the “group of death”.

The group stage begins in three weeks on Tuesday October 20^th with the final is set for Saturday May 29^th at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul.

Full groups:

Group A: Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Salzburg, Lokomotiv Moscow

Group B: Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Borussia Monchengladbach

Group C: Porto, Manchester City, Olympiakos, Marseille

Group D: Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta, Midtjylland

Group E: Sevilla, Chelsea, FK Krasnodar, Rennes

Group F: Zenit St Petersburg, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio, Bruges

Group G: Juventus, Barcelona, Dynamo Kyiv, Ferencvaros

Group H: Paris St-Germain, Manchester United, RB Leipzig, Istanbul Basaksehir