FOUR PREMIER LEAGUE sides were in the pot for the Champions League group stages draw.
Manchester City were hoping to avoid a possible ‘group of death’, Arsenal were involved for a 16th straight season and both Manchester United and Chelsea were looking to add to past trophy hauls. Glasgow Celtic were included in Pot 4 after their late, late drama against Shakhter Karagandy.
- Tough draws for Arsenal and Glasgow Celtic
- Manchester City paired with the cup holders
- David Moyes and Jose Mourinho will be pleased with their team’s draws
Good afternoon and welcome along to our liveblog of the 2013/14 Champions League group stages draw.
Our very own Ben Blake has compiled a comprehensive preview on today’s draw and the possible permutations. Check it out to get yourself up to speed.
Leo Messi is in Monaco for the glitzy draw and his bodyguard looks like former Hull City [now Southend] boss Phil Brown.
Here are the eight teams in each of the four pots:
POT 1: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, Porto, Benfica.
POT 2: Atletico Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan, Schalke, Marseille, CSKA Moscow, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus.
POT 3: Zenit St Petersburg, Manchester City, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Basel, Olympiacos, Galatasaray, Bayer Leverkusen.
POT 4: FC Copenhagen, Napoli, Anderlecht, Celtic, Steaua Bucharest, Viktoria Plzen, Real Sociedad, Austria Vienna.
Your hosts for the draw, when the fanfare and slow-mo replays die down, are Pedro Pinto and Melanie Winiger. They welcome former Celtic captain Billy McNeill to the stage. He captained the Scots to the European Cup in 1967:
Credit: UEFA.com
Here comes one of Portugal’s finest. Luis Figo takes his place on stage ahead of the Pot 1 draw.
“It’s always a dream come true when you have a chance to win this trophy,” said Figo.
Gianni Infantino stresses UEFA’s commitment to a zero tolerance policy towards racism before he cranks up the ball-trundler. Oh, hold up, some more explanations coming. We’re almost ready. Almost.
This glitzy stage is missing one Back to the Future-style blackboard with crazy chalk etchings and lightning bolts striking town clocks.
“We are ready for the draw,” says Infantino.
Pot 1 is first up. All the big hitters involved.
Poor old Billy is struggling to open the balls but he gets there and Chelsea are next. Winners of the cup, on penalties, in 2012. The Londoners are in Group E.
Real Madrid are the next taxi off the rank. Former Real playmaker Figo reveals they are in Group B.
Bayern Munich, the holders, are up next. They lead the way in Group D. Billy and Gianni are going to split the Scot’s pay-cheque, it has been agreed. Barcelona are drawn in Group H and Benfica get Group C.
Credit: UEFA.com
Porto are up and they land in Group G. Here comes Manchester United, last but not least, and Group A is their home for the next few months in Europe.
POT 1 is history.
Billy McNeill takes his seat and next up for the drawing of the Pot 2 balls is Johan Cruyff. He won the cup on numerous occasions, as player and coach.
“Football is to enjoy yourself,” says Cruyff. The English sides will be hoping to avoid the big guns, including PSG, and enjoy the draw. The Dutchman opens his first ball like a pro.
Marseille are up first out of POT 2. They are in Group F with Arsenal.
Here are AC Milan. Seven-time champions. Figo pairs the Italians with Barcelona in Group H.
Here are the big spenders. Paris Saint Germain are out in the open but where will they parachute into? Luis Figo, feeling the pressure, now as he struggles to open his ball. PSG are in Group C with Benfica.
CSKA Moscow are drawn by Cruyff. They get Bayern Munich in Group D.
Atletico Madrid get Group G and Porto. Here comes Juventus and Real and Manchester United are left. They get the Spanish side.
Credit: UEFA.com
Here comes Mr Magic. Michael Owen is in Monaco and ready to crack out some of his famed insight into the European game.
Michael Owen is helping out with POT 3, which contains Dortmund, Manchester City and Ajax.
Gianni is some man for the jokes. His first task is to call out FC Basel (or Basle). Luis feeds the Swiss to Chelsea in Group E.
Olympiacos are in play. This is getting serious. The Greeks will have Benfica and PSG to play with in the European crib.
The Turkish side Galatasaray are in Group B with Real and Juventus.
Leverkusen get the Michael Owen treatment — best ball drawer so far — and they get Manchester United in Group A. David Moyes will be liking this.
Zenit St Petersburg get Group G. The English striker-turned-pundit plucks out Ajax of Amsterdam next. They are in with AC Milan and Barcelona. Group of death forming before our very eyes.
Manchester City in Group D with CSKA and Bayern Munich. Last year’s finalists, Dortmund, get Arsenal and Marseille in Group F.
Group F and Group H looking spicy so far. Glasgow Celtic in POT 4 will hope to avoid both of them.
Paulo Sousa looks George Clooney-esque in his dapper grey suit:
Credit: UEFA.com
Paulo draws Napoli out first and they are in Group F with Arsenal, Marseille and Dortmund. Ouch!
Alex Ferguson will be punching the arm of a sofa somewhere in New York right now.
Anderlecht get Group C. Glasgow Celtic are drawn in Group H with Barcelona, AC Milan and Ajax. That’s gotta sting.
FC Copenhagen are dropped into Group B with heavyweights Real and Juventus. Plzen, from the Czech Republic, hover into Group D with Bayern Munich and Man City.
The last team up and out is Austria Vienna. They are in Group G with Porto, Atletico Madrid and Zenit.
Here are your final groups:
A: Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Bayer Leverkusen, Real Sociedad.
B: Real Madrid, Juventus, Galatasaray, FC Copenhagen.
C: Benfica, PSG, Olympiacos, Anderlecht.
D: Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow, Manchester City, Viktoria Plzen.
E: Chelsea, Schalke, Basel, Steaua.
F: Arsenal, Marseille, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli.
G: Porto, Atletico, Zenit St Petersburg, Austria Vienna.
H: Barcelona, AC Milan, Ajax, Glasgow Celtic.
Journalists in Monaco, get voting for your European-based Footballer of the Year.
Melanie runs a tight ship:
Cristiano Ronaldo is not in Monaco for the awarding of this trophy. Franck Ribery and Leo Messi are. No crazy suit jackets from the Argentine today.
Lionel Messi’s proud parents, Jorge Horácio and Celia.
Messi’s Dad is a mix of Dustin Hoffman and the little Barca genius himself. Award time…
Franck looks as shocked as just about everyone else in the room. In fairness, he did win a hat-load of trophies with Bayern Munich last season.
Credit: UEFA.com
Was a bit painful watching poor billy
Trouble with the balls now
I hope he is not doing all the groups.
Bet they’re delighted they picked him to open the balls. We’ll be here until Sunday.
Cruyff has better ball control
Painful to watch
Lets say if for example a German team was the last team to be drawn, and the only possible group they could go into was a team including a German team, what happens there since 2 teams from the one country can’t meet
It couldn’t work like that, the computer takes that into the equation
Yeah sorry I know now did just take that into account with the second last team.
Barcelona, AC Milan, Man City and Celtic would be a good oul group.
Not far off!
UEFA must have hired Chuck Norris to tighten those balls.
Nani is the champions league trophy now? Did he agree to this?!
Arsenal got a tough group.
Arsenal are gone. I suppose flamini will save them
nightmare draw for Celtic !!!
It is and it isn’t, as Lenny said the glamour is massive, but the football will be hard. Bring it on!! Hopefully a few new faces come in now too.
Figo is still one slick, suave bastid.
Poor celtic
Not really. This is what they wanted really. 3 massive nights, full houses big money plus the money for getting there
Leslie – surely what they really wanted was a realistic chance of more massive nights, full houses and big money after Christmas. Chances of that happening are very slim.
Plus there is extra money for a draw or a win.
Yeah this is what they wanted?? They won’t get 5 points from that group!!
Back under your bridge Jason Bourne you troll
Agreed john. Lennon needs to strengthen. A ball winner in the middle and a replacement for hooper
John they said we wouldn’t get this far………
Yea all good but could be humiliating
Man city are screwed already. Inevitable tough draw.
Don’t b stupid good draw
Best group to watch over the winter is Celtic fc group
Celtic park place will be rocking
Chelsea and Utd should be ok but think City and Arsenal could be in trouble?
Great draw for UTD :)
United play 4 away games off the back of champions league ties. Never easy being involved in a champions league tie or having to travel back from eastern Europe and then playing an away premier league game to a team that regard united as their cup final !
Luis figo is having fierce trouble opening the balls
All the grease on his hands
Chelski got the dream draw, tough enough for the rest of the British teams..
Hank unt should top that group with ease. If they Dont . You only have the manager to blame
United got a dirty draw for a change
You seem to be the only person thinking this?
Good luck to the goon army. Hahaha
Shaktar will be tough away. Bayer are a tough cookie and always do enough to qualify and Sociedad could be the surprise package this season.
Everyone knows the CL draw is fixed every year. Time to do away with the unfair seeding system and have a fair, open draw. Even better, make it actual champions only.
Without the seeding system the draw could be a mess. You could have a group with Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Manchester United
Real Madrid.
Two of the top teams in europe gone at the early stages. Then you could have groups with 4 small eastern European teams. This leaves the group stages a little boaring but guarantees great knock out games in February.
Now how they come up with the seedings I do not know.
Found it strange that last year’s runners up were in pool 3. City in pool 3. Porto and Benfica in pool 1 ????
Chelsea ?
Yes Chelsea won it
Well done lad
Happy with the draw for United, should qualify early and be able to rest players.
Delighted with Celtics group, they’ll be shot out of Europe nice and early.
Arsenal got a bit of a Doozy with Dortmund and Napoli!!!
United have a sticky group, I watch a good bit of the bundesliga and trust me leverkusen are a good side. Shakhtar are handy enough and sociedad played well last season to get into the CL. As a Man Utd fan I would be worried
Seriously ???
That is a tricky group united have .think city and Chelsea will be ok but away at those places for united wont be pleasant
United should be beating Shakhtar home and away, beating Sociedad and Leverkusen at home, that’s 12 points, United are not a bad side, they’re better than all the other teams in the group, should be qualified, 10 points, after 4 games.
United and Chelseas group are handy. No excuses to not win those groups.
For once I agree with you paul!
Up Kerry Leo.
I bet Higuain will score a few against us!
It’s liverpool’s year for sure!
I didn’t realise you had the option of watching Champions League mathces reflected off the trophy.
Nice one Mathieu Flamini back at Arsenal fc
Oh please! United got the easiest group by a long mile.Anybody saying any different is just making excuses for themselves before they’ve even played a game
You obviously don’t watch much European football.