Champions League holders Real Madrid will face former European champions Liverpool, FC Basel and debutants Ludogorets of Bulgaria following the group stage draw yesterday.
The eagerly-awaited event, held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo, had a distinct air of deja vu about it.
Bayern Munich and Manchester City were drawn in the same group for the second successive season, as were Chelsea and Schalke 04, and Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund.
Barcelona and Paris St Germain, both clubs with strong links to Qatar, will also face each other in a mouthwatering clash.
Real won the title for a record-extending 10th time when they beat Atletico Madrid 4-1 after extra time in Lisbon in May and have the chance to avenge a 5-0 aggregate defeat by five-time champions Liverpool in the last 16 in 2009 when they lost 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu and 4-0 at Anfield.
Further back in time Liverpool beat Real 1-0 in the 1981 European Cup final in Paris.
Real will open the defence of their crown when they host Basel in a Group B match on Sept. 16 and will visit the minnows of Ludogorets on Oct. 1. They face Liverpool at Anfield on Oct. 22 with the return leg in Madrid on Nov.4.
“We know it’s going to be very tough,” said Cristiano Ronaldo of the Liverpool tie.
“In general the group is nice, it’s good for Real Madrid.
“We are going to try and do the same again this season. We’re going to try to win the Champions League. It will be difficult but Real Madrid are always thinking big, thinking huge.”
Bayern and Manchester City were joined by CSKA Moscow for the second straight season too with Roma completing the quartet in Group E.
Txiki Begiristain, City‘s director of football told reporters: “Last season Bayern were first, we were second and we also played CSKA, and the fourth team now is very tough, a very strong team in AS Roma.
“All the clubs try to play good football, so it will be an amazing group.”
Last season City midfielder Yaya Toure was racially abused at CSKA leading European soccer’s governing body UEFA to order a partial closure of their stadium.
Last season’s runners-up Atletico were grouped with former champions Juventus, Olympiakos Piraeus and Malmo of Sweden in Group A.
Barca and PSG will also face former European champions Ajax Amsterdam and APOEL Nicosia in Group F.
Real Madrid, who waited 12 years to secure their 10th title, are bidding to become the first club in the Champions League era to win the trophy in successive seasons, a feat achieved fairly regularly under the old European Cup format.
The last team to win the title in successive seasons were Milan in 1989 and 1990, but Cristiano Ronaldo sees no reason why they cannot retain their crown.
“Why not? Everything is possible. I’ve won it with Manchester United and now with Madrid, so we’re looking forward to another one.”
As well as facing Liverpool, back in the Champions League for the first time since 2010, and Basel, Real will also play Ludogorets who were described as “the fairytale club” by UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino during the draw.
Ludogorets qualified for the group stage for the first time with a 6-5 penalty shootout win over former champions Steaua Bucharest in an amazing finale to their match on Wednesday.
Ludogorets defender Cosmin Moti went in goal after keeper Vladislav Stoyanov was sent off in the last minute of extra time.
He then scored the first penalty in the shootout before saving two other spot kicks as Ludogorets went through.
Another intriguing draw pitted Barca with PSG, Ajax and APOEL. Barcelona and the Paris club have strong links with Qatar – PSG are now owned by the Qatari Investment Authority and Barca are heavily backed by the Qatar Foundation.
The competition gets underway on Sept. 16 with this season’s final in Berlin on June 6.
Group A
Atletico madrid
Juventus
Olympiakos
Malmo
16/09/14 Olympiakos vs A. Madrid
16/09/14 Juventus vs Malmo
01/10/14 Malmo vs Olympiakos
01/10/14 A. Madrid vs Juventus
22/10/14 A. Madrid vs Malmo
22/10/14 Olympiakos vs Juventus
04/11/14 Malmo vs A. Madrid
04/11/14 Juventus vs Olympiakos
26/11/14 A. Madrid vs Olympiakos
26/11/14 Malmo vs Juventus
09/12/14 Olympiakos vs Malmo
09/12/14 Juventus vs A. Madrid
Group B
Real Madrid
Basel
Liverpool
Ludogorets
16/09/14 Liverpool vs Ludogorets
16/09/14 R. Madrid vs Basel
01/10/14 Basel vs Liverpool
01/10/14 Ludogorets vs R. Madrid
22/10/14 Ludogorets vs Basel
22/10/14 Liverpool vs Real Madrid
04/11/14 Basel vs Ludogorets
04/11/14 R. Madrid vs Liverpool
26/11/14 Ludogorets vs Liverpool
26/11/14 Basel vs Real Madrid
09/12/14 Liverpool vs Basel
09/12/14 R. Madrid vs Ludogorets
Group C
Benfica
Zenit St Petersburg
Bayer leverkusen
Monaco
16/09/14 Monaco vs B. Leverkusen
16/09/14 Benfica vs Zenit SP
01/10/14 Zenit SP vs Monaco
01/10/14 B. Leverkusen vs Benfica
22/10/14 B. Leverkusen vs Zenit SP
22/10/14 Monaco vs Benfica
04/11/14 Zenit SP vs B. Leverkusen
04/11/14 Benfica vs Monaco
26/11/14 Zenit SP vs Benfica
26/11/14 B. Leverkusen vs Monaco
09/12/14 Monaco vs Zenit SP
09/12/14 Benfica vs B. Leverkusen
Group D
Arsenal
Borussia dortmund
Galatasaray
Anderlecht
16/09/14 Galatasaray vs Anderlecht
16/09/14 B. Dortmund vs Arsenal
01/10/14 Arsenal vs Galatasaray
01/10/14 Anderlecht vs B. Dortmund
22/10/14 Anderlecht vs Arsenal
22/10/14 Galatasaray vs B. Dortmund
04/11/14 Arsenal vs Anderlecht
04/11/14 B. Dortmund vs Galatasaray
26/11/14 Anderlecht vs Galatasaray
26/11/14 Arsenal vs B. Dortmund
09/12/14 Galatasaray vs Arsenal
09/12/14 B. Dortmund vs Anderlecht
Group E
Bayern Munich
Man. City
Cska Moscow
Roma
17/09/14 Roma vs CSKA Moscow
17/09/14 B. Munich vs Man. City
30/09/14 Man. City vs Roma
30/09/14 CSKA Moscow vs B. Munich
21/10/14 CSKA Moscow vs Man. City
21/10/14 Roma vs B. Munich
05/11/14 Man. City vs CSKA Moscow
05/11/14 B. Munich vs Roma
25/11/14 CSKA Moscow vs Roma
25/11/14 Man. City vs B. Munich
10/12/14 Roma vs Man. City
10/12/14 B. Munich vs CSKA Moscow
Group F
Barcelona
Paris St Germain
Ajax
Apoel
17/09/14 Barcelona vs Apoel
17/09/14 Ajax vs Paris SG
30/09/14 Paris SG vs Barcelona
30/09/14 Apoel vs Ajax
21/10/14 Apoel vs Paris SG
21/10/14 Barcelona vs Ajax
05/11/14 Paris SG vs Apoel
05/11/14 Ajax vs Barcelona
25/11/14 Apoel vs Barcelona
25/11/14 Paris SG vs Ajax
10/12/14 Barcelona vs Paris SG
10/12/14 Ajax vs Apoel
Group G
Chelsea
Schalke 04
Sporting Lisbon
NK Maribor
17/09/14 Maribor vs Sporting
17/09/14 Chelsea vs Schalke
30/09/14 Sporting vs Chelsea
30/09/14 Schalke vs Maribor
21/10/14 Schalke vs Sporting
21/10/14 Chelsea vs Maribor
05/11/14 Sporting vs Schalke
05/11/14 Maribor vs Chelsea
25/11/14 Schalke vs Chelsea
25/11/14 Sporting vs Maribor
10/12/14 Chelsea vs Sporting
10/12/14 Maribor vs Schalke
Group H
Porto
Shakhtar Donetsk
Athletic Bilbao
Bate Borisov
17/09/14 Porto vs Bate Borisov
17/09/14 A. Bilbao vs S. Donetsk
30/09/14 S. Donetsk vs Porto
30/09/14 Bate Borisov vs A. Bilbao
21/10/14 Bate Borisov vs S. Donetsk
21/10/14 Porto vs A. Bilbao
05/11/14 S. Donetsk vs Bate Borisov
05/11/14 A. Bilbao vs Porto
25/11/14 Bate Borisov vs Porto
25/11/14 S. Donetsk vs A. Bilbao
10/12/14 Porto vs S. Donetsk
10/12/14 A. Bilbao vs B. Borisov