Champions League Draw: Manchester City to play PSG in group stage, see others

Manchester City have been drawn in the same UEFA Champions League group with French Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint Germain. The draw of the UEFA Champions League group stage which was done earlier today, August 26, 2021, was held in Istanbul, Turkey.

The 2021-2022 UEFA Champions League Group A is expected to be the most talked about group of the tournament because of the presence of PSG, Man City, and RB Leipzig. Aside from Club Bruges that make up the fourth club in the group, the other teams have been very consistent in the tournament in recent times.

PSG have made themselves more dangerous in the tournament by signing Lionel Messi from FC Barcelona, Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid, Georginio Wijnaldum from Liverpool, and Achraf Hakimi from Inter Milan. They also have the addition of Gianluigi Donnarumma who is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

These new players are expected to join forces with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar to rain havoc on any team they meet in the UEFA Champions League group stage and beyond this season.

The solidity of PSG will be tested against Manchester City that are the reigning champions of the Premier League and the 2021 finalists of the tournament.

Another interesting group in the tournament is Group H because it contains the reigning champions of the Champions League, Chelsea and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus that are looking forward to winning the title.

Arguably, the group of death of the 2021-2022 UEFA Champions League group stage is Group B. The group is made of four clubs – Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Porto, and AC Milan that have at least played in the final of the tournament.

Pundits and football enthusiasts across the world would watch the group keenly to see the two clubs that would make it out of the group. This is so because based on the antecedents of these clubs, the four clubs have the potentials to make it to the second round of the tournament.

It will also be interesting to see how things will pound out in Group E because it contains Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona, Benfica, and Dynamo Kyiv. Though on paper, Bayern and Barca look like the two teams that will make it out of the group, Benfica and Kyiv have the potentials to cause an upset.

All set for the 2021/22 season! 🤩

Which Champions League group are you most excited for?#UCLdraw | #UCL pic.twitter.com/gpOCzlRtOd

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 26, 2021

Below is the draw for the 2021-2022 UEFA Champions League group stage draw:

Group A

1. Man City
2. PSG
3. RB Leipzig
4. Club Bruges

Group B

1. Atletico Madrid
2. Liverpool
3. Porto
4. AC Milan

Group C

1. Sporting Lisbon
2. Borussia Dortmund
3. Ajax
4. Besiktas

Group D

1. Real Madrid
2. Inter Milan
3. Shakhtar Donetsk
4. Sheriff Tiraspol

Group E

1. Bayern Munich
2. Barcelona
3. Benfica
4. Dynamo Kyiv

Group F

1. Villarreal
2. Man Utd
3. Atalanta
4. Young Boys

Group G

1. Lille
2. Sevilla
3. Salzburg
4. Wolfsburg

Group H

1. Chelsea
2. Juventus
3. Zenit
4. Malmo

When will the 2021-2022 group stage begin?

The 2021-2022 UEFA Champions League group stage will commence on 14 September 2021 and end on December 8, 2021.

Matchday one: 14/15 September

Matchday two: 28/29 September

Matchday three: 19/20 October

Matchday four: 2/3 November

Matchday five: 23/24 November

Matchday six: 7/8 December