In the UEFA Champions League group stage draw, titleholders Inter Milan will compete against Tottenham Hotspur, while Real Madrid is set to take on Inter’s intense rivals AC Milan.
Under the guidance of former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, Inter will be joined in Group A by German side Werder Bremen and Dutch champions FC Twente, along with Spurs, who are making their first appearance in the world’s richest club competition.
Klaus Allofs, the director of sport for Werder Bremen, acknowledged the challenges ahead for his team.
“This group is quite challenging. Inter stands out as the clear favorites, but we are ranked ninth in UEFA and aim to demonstrate our capabilities to secure second place in the group.”
Last season’s semi-finalists Lyon are joined by Schalke, Benfica, and Hapoel Tel Aviv in Group B.
Three-time European champions Manchester United will travel north to face Scottish power Rangers, while Spanish team Valencia and Turkey’s Bursaspor round out Group C.
In the 2003/2004 season, United and Rangers faced each other at the same stage, with United winning both matches, 3-0 at home and 1-0 at Ibrox.
Returning to familiar grounds, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who played for Rangers in the 1960s, will revisit Ibrox, situated in Govan, Glasgow, where he was born.
“(Rangers manager) Walter Smith has already contacted me about tickets for Old Trafford! Like me, he’s eagerly anticipating our matches,” Ferguson remarked.
The 2009 champions, Barcelona, one of the eight top seeds, have been placed in Group D alongside Greek club Panathinaikos, Danish side FC Copenhagen, and Russian champions Rubin Kazan.
Bayern Munich, last season’s runners-up, must navigate through Group E, facing Roma, Basel, and CFR Cluj.
Bayern’s coach, Louis van Gaal, expressed his relief at the favorable draw.
“It could have been considerably tougher. However, we must approach this group with full concentration,” said the Dutchman, who was mainly pleased to avoid “very long flights.”
Chelsea, who lost to United in the Moscow final in 2008, are competing in Group F with Marseille, the only French team to win the trophy, Spartak Moscow, and Slovakian team Zilina.
Group G appears to be the most challenging, featuring three former winners: Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Ajax, along with French club Auxerre.
For the second consecutive season, Real and AC Milan will meet at this stage of the competition.
Arsenal will embark on a lengthy journey to Ukraine to face Shakhtar Donetsk in Group H, where they will also encounter Sporting Braga and Partizan Belgrade.
The draw’s regulations stipulate that no English teams can match up against each other until the quarter-finals.
The opening round of group matches is scheduled for September 14 and 15, culminating in the final at Wembley on May 28, 2011.
Agence France-Presse
Group A
Inter Milan (ITA)
Werder Bremen (GER)
Tottenham (ENG)
Twente (NED)
Group B
Lyon (FRA)
Benfica (POR)
Schalke (GER)
Hapoel Tel-Aviv (ISR)
Group C
Man Utd (ENG)
Valencia (ESP)
Rangers (SCO)
Bursaspor (TUR)
Group D
Barcelona (ESP)
Panathinaikos (GRE)
Copenhagen (DEN)
Rubin Kazan (RUS)
Group E
Bayern Munich (GER)
Roma (ITA)
Basel (SUI)
CFR Cluj (ROM)
Group F
Chelsea (ENG)
Marseille (FRA)
Spartak Moscow (RUS)
Zilina (SVK)
Group G
AC Milan (ITA)
Real Madrid (ESP)
Ajax (NED)
Auxerre (FRA)
Group H
Arsenal (ENG)
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
Sporting Braga (POR)
Partizan Belgrade (SRB)
