It is Ronaldo vs Messi as Barca, Juve drawn in same CL group
GENEVA: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will face each other without precedent for over two years after their separate groups, Barcelona and Juventus, were drawn together on Thursday in the Champions League group stage.
Messi and Ronaldo will continue the competition they created when the Portuguese superstar was at Real Madrid. Both of them have won 11 of the last 12 Ballons d’Or.
Protecting champions Bayern Munich faces a possibly wounding two matches against Atletico Madrid while the draw additionally delivered a few other heavyweight conflicts including Paris St Germain versus Manchester United and Real Madrid versus Inter Milan.
Head League champions Liverpool
Head League champions Liverpool must face Ajax Amsterdam and free-scoring Serie A side Atalanta.
The draw, typically held at an extravagant service in a coastline gathering corridor in Monaco, this time occurred in a Geneva TV studio due to the (Covid-19) pandemic.
The poor start to the season — a thump on impact of last season being hindered by the pandemic — implies that the six matchdays will be played between Oct 19 and Dec 9, a month not exactly common.
UEFA declared that onlookers
Not long after the service, UEFA declared that onlookers would be permitted to watch matches, up to a limit of 30% of stadium limit, if neighborhood specialists permit.
Barcelona and Juventus, who met in 2015 last, were matched in Group ‘G’ alongside Dynamo Kyiv and Hungarian side Ferencvaros, who is back in the group stage following a 25-year nonappearance.
The two highest scorers in Champions League
Ronaldo, 35, and Messi, 33, the two highest scorers in Champions League history with 130 and 115 objectives separately, have not conflicted since the Portuguese left Real Madrid to join Juventus toward the finish of the 2017-18 season.
The pair have just met multiple times in the Champions League, most as of late in 2011 when Barcelona beat Real 3-1 on the total in the semi-finals.
“It will be a colossal conflict with Barcelona and an intriguing experience since it permits the two best parts on the planet Ronaldo and Messi to face off against each other,” said Juventus VP Pavel Nedved.
It will likewise be an extreme start for Juventus mentor Andrea Pirlo, who gave control in August notwithstanding having no past instructing experience.
Bayern was the first group to be drawn out of the pot by previous Chelsea and Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba, one of the guests at the draw, and was joined by Atletico Madrid, Salzburg, and Lokomotiv Moscow.
Last season’s other participants
Paris St Germain, last season’s other participants, and Manchester United will conflict in Group ‘H’, bringing back recollections of the English side’s noteworthy rebound two seasons prior when they won on away objectives subsequent to losing 2-0 at home.
An intense group was finished by Bundesliga side RB Leipzig and Turkey’s Istanbul Basaksehir — one of four group stage debutants close by Rennes, FC Midtjylland, and Russians Krasnodar.
Group ‘D’ will include Liverpool and Ajax, who have won the opposition multiple times between them, in addition to Atalanta, who reached the quarter-finals on their introduction last season, and Denmark’s Midtjylland.
Thirteen-time champions Real Madrid were drawn in Group ‘B’ close by Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Borussia Moenchengladbach. Entomb beat Shakhtar 5-0 last month in the Europa League semi-finals.
Group ‘E’ gave off an impression of being one of the most open groups, highlighting Europa League champs Sevilla, Chelsea, Krasnodar, and Rennes.
Be that as it may, it could bring back despondent recollections for Sevilla mentor Julen Lopetegui, who was terminated as Spain mentor at the group camp in Krasnodar two days before the start of the 2018 World Cup.
Group ‘F’ is likewise erratic with Zenit St Petersburg, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio and Club Brugge.
Manchester City will start as clear top choices in Group ‘C’ with Porto, Olympiakos, and Olympique de Marseille liable to fight for the second spot.
Europa League Group on Thursday.
Then, Seven-time European champions AC Milan were compensated by being drawn against Celtic and Lille in their Europa League Group on Thursday.
They were drawn in Group ‘F’, one of the toughest of the 12 groups, which likewise includes Sparta Prague.
Coppa Italia victors Napoli additionally had a precarious draw as they will face Real Sociedad, AZ Alkmaar, and Rijeka in Group ‘F’ while AS Roma, the third Serie A side in the cap will meet Young Boys Bern, Cluj, and CSKA Sofia in Group A.
English pair Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur both had all the earmarks of being given straightforward draws, with Mikel Arteta’s side to face Norway’s Molde, Rapid Vienna, and Ireland’s Dundalk in Group ‘B’.
Tottenham, Champions League other participants two seasons prior, face Ludogorets Razgrad, LASK Linz, and Royal Antwerp in Group ‘J’.
