Champions League draw: Who will face Real Madrid? – shocking Group C
Last season Champions League winners Real Madrid have been drawn against Ukrainian side Shaktar Donetsk in the group stages of the 2022 -23 UEFA Champions League/
The 14-time winners will also have to take on German side RB Leipzig and Scottish side Celtic to begin their title defence.
Shakhtar Donetsk played their first competitive game on Tuesday after football was banned in Ukraine for almost six months following the Russian invasion.
They will play their group games at the Stadion Wojska Polskiego in Warsaw, Poland. Russian teams were banned from EUFA competitions in February.
Group C is by far the most intriguing as it features Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Inter Milan – who combined won 14 European cups or Champions Leagues.
Last year’s runners-up Liverpool will take on another British side, Rangers – with Ajax and Napoli rounding out their group.
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus are set to compete in the Champions League while also fighting in the European Court of Justice for the right to form their own breakaway competition.
English side Manchester City have been drawn against Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and Copenhagen in Group C.
Whilst last year’s UEFA Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt will play Tottenham Hotspur, Sporting CP, and Marseille.
This season’s schedule has been tightened to an eight-week period due to the November world cup in Qatar.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout rounds, which will begin in 2023. The final will take place at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium on 10 June.
Here is the full draw:
Group A
Ajax (Netherlands)
Liverpool (England)
Napoli (Italy)
Rangers (Scotland)
Group B
Porto (Portugal)
Atlético Madrid (Spain)
Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
Club Brugge (Belgium)
Group C
Bayern Munich (Germany)
Barcelona (Spain)
Inter Milan (Italy)
Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic)
Group D
Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany)
Tottenham Hotspur (England)
Sporting CP (Portugal)
Marseille (France)
Group E
AC Milan (Italy)
Chelsea (England)
Salzburg (Austria)
Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
Group F
Real Madrid (Spain)
RB Leipzig (Germany)
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
Celtic (Scotland)
Group G
Manchester City (England)
Sevilla (Spain)
Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Copenhagen (Denmark)
Group H
Paris Saint-Germain (France)
Juventus (Italy)
Benfica (Portugal)
Maccabi Haifa (Israel)
