It is the luck of the draw, but while the likes of Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid got groups with heavyweight rivals, the Premier League’s quartet will all be happy with their outcomes.
Tottenham landed Bayern Munich, but will expect to overcome Olympiakos and Red Star Belgrade, while Liverpool and Manchester City will expect to coast through as group winners and Chelsea are favoured to take Group H.
Group Predictions
Group A: PSG and Real Madrid go through
Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid meet in heavyweight clashes and while both will expect to progress to the round of 16, the story of this group is likely to be about which team finishes top and earns a seeding in the knockout stages. Finishing second could lead to a nightmare draw against another Champions League big-hitter. Galatasaray and Club Brugge, meanwhile, will enjoy a tough battle for the Europa League spot that comes with third place.
B: Bayern Munich and Tottenham go through
Bayern and Tottenham will be favourites to qualify, but both must be wary of slipping up in hostile arenas when they travel to Athens and Belgrade for clashes with Olympiakos and Red Star. Red Star beat Liverpool 2-0 at home last season and are the dangerous outsider in this group; they could upset Spurs if last season’s runners-up fail to rediscover consistency. Olympiakos can be tough to beat at home, though they are something of a soft touch on the road.
C: Man City and Dinamo Zagreb go through
This group is basically a case of who will finish runners-up behind City, who are many observers’ favourites to win the Champions League. Shakhtar have the most recent pedigree in the competition, but Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta will believe they can reach the knockout stages. Champions League debutants Atalanta may suffer from losing home advantage by playing at the San Siro in Milan rather than their 21,000-capacity stadium in Bergamo.
D: Juventus and Leverkusen go through
Juventus and Atletico Madrid, who met in last season’s round of 16, are the two to beat in this group, but Bayer Leverkusen could separate them. Juventus have strengthened in the summer, but questions hang over Atletico following the departures of Antoine Griezmann, Rodri and Diego Godin. Diego Simeone remains at the helm and has signed Portuguese wonderkid Joao Felix, but Leverkusen will be a tough nut to crack; Lokomotiv Moscow could also challenge for second.
E: Liverpool and Napoli go through
Reigning European champions Liverpool meet Napoli again, having played out two big encounters in last season’s group stage. Salzburg and Genk look to be making up the numbers, so Liverpool’s encounters with Napoli should decide who tops the group. Only a last-minute save by Alisson at Anfield stopped Napoli from dumping Liverpool out at the group stage a year ago, so the Italians will fancy their chances.
F: Barcelona and Inter go through
The most eye-catching group of all features three previous winners — Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Inter — slugging it out for two places. Barca will expect to finish top, but Dortmund could beat them. Inter, meanwhile, are still an unknown quantity under Antonio Conte, but the nerrazzuri have plenty of quality so don’t take your eyes off this group. Slavia Prague make up the numbers.
G: Lyon and Leipzig go through
Zenit St Petersburg’s Twitter feed joked prior to the draw that the Russian champions were the top seed that everyone wanted to get. Benfica, Lyon and Leipzig were the lucky clubs in each pot and while this group might lack glamour, it is perhaps the most competitive, with all four teams having a chance to qualify. Lyon made it to the knockout stages last season and will be favourites.
H: Chelsea and Valencia go through
Europa League winners Chelsea will be delighted to get an Ajax team weakened by the departures of Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie De Jong, as well as a Valencia outfit that scraped in as Spain’s fourth qualifier and Lille, who finished a distant second to PSG in France. Chelsea, with Christian Pulisic signed to replace Eden Hazard, are in transition under Frank Lampard, but should top this group.
Champions League Fixtures
Matchday one
Tuesday 17 September
Napoli v Liverpool – Buy Champions League Tickets
Salzburg v Genk – Buy Champions League Tickets
Inter v Slavia Praha – Buy Champions League Tickets
Dortmund v Barcelona – Buy Champions League Tickets
Lyon v Zenit – Buy Champions League Tickets
Benfica v Leipzig – Buy Champions League Tickets
Chelsea v Valencia – Buy Champions League Tickets
Ajax v LOSC Lille – Buy Champions League Tickets
Wednesday 18 September
Club Brugge v Galatasaray – Buy Champions League Tickets
Paris v Real Madrid – Buy Champions League Tickets
Olympiacos v Tottenham – Buy Champions League Tickets
Bayern v Crvena zvezda – Buy Champions League Tickets
Shakhtar v Manchester City – Buy Champions League Tickets
Dinamo Zagreb v Atalanta – Buy Champions League Tickets
Atlético v Juventus – Buy Champions League Tickets
Leverkusen v Lokomotiv Moskva – Buy Champions League Tickets
Matchday two
Tuesday 1 October
Real Madrid v Club Brugge – Buy Champions League Tickets
Galatasaray v Paris – Buy Champions League Tickets
Tottenham v Bayern – Buy Champions League Tickets
Crvena zvezda v Olympiacos – Buy Champions League Tickets
Atalanta v Shakhtar – Buy Champions League Tickets
Manchester City v Dinamo Zagreb – Buy Champions League Tickets
Juventus v Leverkusen – Buy Champions League Tickets
Lokomotiv Moskva v Atlético – Buy Champions League Tickets
Wednesday 2 October
Genk v Napoli – Buy Champions League Tickets
Liverpool v Salzburg – Buy Champions League Tickets
Slavia Praha v Dortmund – Buy Champions League Tickets
Barcelona v Inter – Buy Champions League Tickets
Zenit v Benfica – Buy Champions League Tickets
Leipzig v Lyon – Buy Champions League Tickets
Valencia v Ajax – Buy Champions League Tickets
LOSC Lille v Chelsea – Buy Champions League Tickets
Matchday three
Tuesday 22 October
Club Brugge v Paris – Buy Champions League Tickets
Galatasaray v Real Madrid – Buy Champions League Tickets
Tottenham v Crvena zvezda – Buy Champions League Tickets
Olympiacos v Bayern – Buy Champions League Tickets
Shakhtar v Dinamo Zagreb – Buy Champions League Tickets
Manchester City v Atalanta – Buy Champions League Tickets
Atlético v Leverkusen – Buy Champions League Tickets
Juventus v Lokomotiv Moskva – Buy Champions League Tickets
Wednesday 23 October
Salzburg v Napoli – Buy Champions League Tickets
Genk v Liverpool – Buy Champions League Tickets
Inter v Dortmund – Buy Champions League Tickets
Slavia Praha v Barcelona – Buy Champions League Tickets
Leipzig v Zenit – Buy Champions League Tickets
Benfica v Lyon – Buy Champions League Tickets
Ajax v Chelsea – Buy Champions League Tickets
LOSC Lille v Valencia – Buy Champions League Tickets
Matchday four
Tuesday 5 November
Liverpool v Genk – Buy Champions League Tickets
Napoli v Salzburg – Buy Champions League Tickets
Barcelona v Slavia Praha – Buy Champions League Tickets
Dortmund v Inter – Buy Champions League Tickets
Zenit v Leipzig – Buy Champions League Tickets
Lyon v Benfica – Buy Champions League Tickets
Chelsea v Ajax – Buy Champions League Tickets
Valencia v LOSC Lille – Buy Champions League Tickets
Wednesday 6 November
Paris v Club Brugge – Buy Champions League Tickets
Real Madrid v Galatasaray – Buy Champions League Tickets
Bayern v Olympiacos – Buy Champions League Tickets
Crvena zvezda v Tottenham – Buy Champions League Tickets
Dinamo Zagreb v Shakhtar – Buy Champions League Tickets
Atalanta v Manchester City – Buy Champions League Tickets
Lokomotiv Moskva v Juventus – Buy Champions League Tickets
Leverkusen v Atlético – Buy Champions League Tickets
Matchday five
Tuesday 26 November
Galatasaray v Club Brugge – Buy Champions League Tickets
Real Madrid v Paris – Buy Champions League Tickets
Tottenham v Olympiacos – Buy Champions League Tickets
Crvena zvezda v Bayern – Buy Champions League Tickets
Manchester City v Shakhtar – Buy Champions League Tickets
Atalanta v Dinamo Zagreb – Buy Champions League Tickets
Lokomotiv Moskva v Leverkusen – Buy Champions League Tickets
Juventus v Atlético – Buy Champions League Tickets
Wednesday 27 November
Liverpool v Napoli – Buy Champions League Tickets
Genk v Salzburg – Buy Champions League Tickets
Barcelona v Dortmund – Buy Champions League Tickets
Slavia Praha v Inter – Buy Champions League Tickets
Zenit v Lyon – Buy Champions League Tickets
Leipzig v Benfica – Buy Champions League Tickets
Valencia v Chelsea – Buy Champions League Tickets
LOSC Lille v Ajax – Buy Champions League Tickets
Matchday six
Tuesday 10 December
Napoli v Genk – Buy Champions League Tickets
Salzburg v Liverpool – Buy Champions League Tickets
Dortmund v Slavia Praha – Buy Champions League Tickets
Inter v Barcelona – Buy Champions League Tickets
Benfica v Zenit – Buy Champions League Tickets
Lyon v Leipzig – Buy Champions League Tickets
Chelsea v LOSC Lille – Buy Champions League Tickets
Ajax v Valencia – Buy Champions League Tickets
Wednesday 11 December
Paris v Galatasaray – Buy Champions League Tickets
Club Brugge v Real Madrid – Buy Champions League Tickets
Bayern v Tottenham – Buy Champions League Tickets
Olympiacos v Crvena zvezda – Buy Champions League Tickets
Shakhtar v Atalanta – Buy Champions League Tickets
Dinamo Zagreb v Manchester City – Buy Champions League Tickets
Atlético v Lokomotiv Moskva – Buy Champions League Tickets
Leverkusen v Juventus – Buy Champions League Tickets
