By Ibe Johnson
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are set to rekindle their rivalry, as Juventus were pitched in the same UEFA Champions League group with Barcelona in Thursday’s draw.
It will be the first time both football icons will face each other since 2018 when Ronaldo left Real Madrid to Juventus.
The draw was concluded at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, with the pick of the fixtures being the high profile showdown between Barca and European under-performers Juve.
Premier League clubs have also their fate with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool set to go up against two tricky opponents in Ajax and Atalanta in Group D, while the returning Manchester United will again meet Paris Saint Germain in the competition.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side has not been afforded a pleasant welcome home party to European football’s premier competition, and will also have to overcome last season’s semi-finalists, RB Leipzig, in Group H, while also contending with a trip to Istanbul to meet Basaksehir.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City missed a horror draw against the likes of current holders Bayern Munich or Spanish royalty Real Madrid, and will instead face a trip to Portugal to lock horns with Porto, before meeting Olympiakos and Marseille in Group C.
Frank Lampard’s Chelsea finds itself in a group with last season’s Europa League winners, Sevilla, along with FC Krasnodar of Russia and Rennes.
Holders Bayern Munich faces a tasty encounter with Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, with potential dark horses RB Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow also joining the two giants in Group A.
Group B sees Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid go up against Serie A giants, Inter Milan, with Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Monchengladbach making up the places.
Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund may well be breathing a sigh of relief and will fancy their chances of progression, after being drawn in Group F alongside Zenit St Petersburg, Lazio and Brugges.