Rangers will face Liverpool on their return to the Champions League for the first time in 12 years after being drawn against Jürgen Klopp’s side in Group A, while Erling Haaland is set to play former club Borussia Dortmund for Manchester City.
Having battled through two qualifying rounds following their defeat in last season’s Europa League final, the reward for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side is a difficult group that also contains Dutch champions Ajax, and Napoli, who are leading the early Serie A standings after two matches.
Yet it could have been even worse for Rangers had former Bayern Munich and Turkey midfielder Hamit Altintop drawn them in a group that contained Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Internazionale. Instead, Czech champions Viktoria Plzen have the unenviable task of trying to find a way past three sides who have won the competition 14 times between them.
Liverpool have never before played Rangers in a competitive match, although they have met in friendly games with the most recent in October 2011 when the Scottish side won 1-0 at Ibrox.
Klopp was in no doubt about the task ahead. He said: “The first thing to say is this is a proper, proper challenge. The difference this year is that the group stage will be shorter than usual, so we will have to be ready not just for the quality of the opposition but also for the different demands and rhythms.
“It was only a couple of years back that we played two really tough matches against Ajax and we get drawn against Napoli pretty regularly, so we know quite a bit about both of them and they know quite a bit about us. I know there will also be some new lessons to be learned, though.
“Rangers are a new opponent for us but we know them, too. Their story over the last few years has been really interesting and they did really well to qualify for the group stage, given the teams they were up against in the qualifying matches.”
Elsewhere, Tottenham will fancy their chances of progressing in their first Champions League campaign since 2019/20 after being drawn with Eintracht Frankfurt — who beat Rangers in the Europa League final to qualify for this season’s competition — Sporting and Marseille in Group D.
“We have some very tough games but everyone knows each other in European football now and we’ve got a team that I believe could be a force to be reckoned with,” said Tottenham ambassador and former captain Gary Mabbutt.
“We are playing against the elite in Europe and we are very much looking forward to it.”
Chelsea will face Milan, FC Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb in what also appears a welcome draw for Thomas Tuchel’s team in Group E, while the Norway striker Haaland will be reunited with his former Borussia Dortmund teammates following his £53m summer move after City were placed with the German side, Sevilla and FC Copenhagen in Group G.
Group A Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, Rangers
Group B Porto, Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Brugge
Group C Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Internazionale, Viktoria Plzen
Group D Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham, Sporting, Marseille
Group E Milan, Chelsea, RB Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb
Group F Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic
Group G Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, Copenhagen
Group H Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Benfica, Maccabi Haifa
Matchday one 6-7 September
Matchday two 13-14 September
Matchday three 4-5 October
Matchday four 11-12 October
Matchday five 25-26 October
Matchday six 1-2 November
“It will be a special game, especially for Erling Haaland and Ilkay Gündogan,” said City’s chief executive Ferran Soriano.
“I think both will enjoy it. It’s a fantastic stadium — the last time we went there it was empty because of Covid so it will actually be a great experience for our fans, both in Dortmund and in Manchester.”
Asked whether winning the Champions League for the first time was City’s priority this season after being eliminated by Madrid in the semi-finals last season after losing to Chelsea in the 2021 final, Soriano added: “No it’s never. Our priority is always the Premier League - that is what we work hard for every week and it’s our bread and butter. The Champions League is of course an aspiration but it’s not an obsession. We will win it, I am sure.”
Celtic face a difficult challenge up against holders Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Celtic, managed by Ange Postecoglou, last met the 14-time winners in 1980 — a European Cup tie that saw the Spanish side eventually prevail after trailing 2-0 at one stage.
Porto, Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Club Bruges make up Group B, with Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Benfica and Maccabi Haifa in Group H.
England’s Euro 2022-winning manager Sarina Wiegman was also named the Uefa women’s coach of the year, with Beth Mead missing out to Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas in the player of the year award.
“It’s really nice to receive this great award, I am honoured and humbled,” said Weigman. “This award is really for everyone involved with the England team, the FA, the staff and most of all the players. Our fans have been very great too, so thank you fans for supporting us so much. Hopefully we’ll qualify for the World Cup and enjoy the game.” Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti won the men’s award, with Karim Benzema named as men’s player of the year.
