Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Jack de Menezes

Arsenal and Manchester City get nightmare Champions League draws

Arsene Wenger looks on during the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace (Getty Images)

Arsenal and Manchester City face a difficult take to reach the Champions League last-16 after being handed difficult group stage draws, but Manchester United and Chelsea have been handed relatively simple draws.

Barcelona were the first name out of the hat, less than three months after they won the fifth European Cup in their history, as they were drawn in Group E where they were later joined by Bayer Leverkusen, Roma and BATE Borisov.

Chelsea quickly followed as the 2011/12 winners were placed in Group G, and they were soon handed the most simple draw of the four Premier League sides with Jose Mourinho set to meet his old side FC Porto twice in the group stages. Dynamo Kiev and Maccabi Tel-Aviv completed a relatively easy group for the Blues.

Champions League draw in full  

Arsenal were the first English club to be drawn from Pot 2, and Gunners fans were soon breathing a familiar sigh when they were placed in Group F alongside Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, the side that knocked them out of Europe in both 2013 and 2014. They were soon joined by Greek side Olympiakos and Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia.

Manchester United will return to Champions League action in Group B where they face Dutch league champions PSV Eindhoven, Russian side CSKA Moscow and Bundesliga side Wolfsburg.

But for Manchester City, a daunting task to get through to the last-16 awaits after they were drawn in Group D along with Italian champions Juventus, reigning Europa League champions Sevilla and Bundesliga side Borusia Monchengladbach.

Full draw:

GROUP A: PSG, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Malmo

GROUP B: PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Wolfsburg

GROUP C: Benfica, Atletico, Galatasaray, Astana

GROUP D: Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Monchengladbach

GROUP E: Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma, BATE Borisov

GROUP F: Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Olympiakos, Dinamo Zagreb

GROUP G: Chelsea, Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Maccabi Tel-Aviv

GROUP H: Zenit, Valencia, Lyon, Gent

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.