MONACO (Reuters) – Paris St Germain will kick off their quest for a maiden Champions League trophy in a strong Group F featuring Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Newcastle United following the draw on Thursday.
Holders Manchester City will take on RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys in Group G.
City captured their first European crown this year and Pep Guardiola’s side should have few problems in making the last 16, having handed Leipzig a 7-0 thrashing in last year’s tournament.
Record 14-times winners Real Madrid will play Serie A champions Napoli, Braga and Union Berlin in Group C. German heavyweights Bayern Munich take on Manchester United, FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray in Group A.
Last season’s runners-up Inter Milan meet Benfica, RB Salzburg and Real Sociedad in Group D, while Europa League winners Sevilla and Arsenal were drawn together in Group B along with PSV Eindhoven and RC Lens.
LaLiga champions Barcelona take on Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Royal Antwerp in Group H and Group E is made up of Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid, Lazio and Celtic.
The Champions League group stage will begin on Sept. 19 and conclude on Dec. 13. The knockout stages begin in February, with the final taking place at London’s Wembley Stadium in June.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
