Arsenal received a relatively comfortable draw, Group F features PSG, Dortmund, AC Milan and Newcastle United, and Harry Kane will play at Old Trafford
Ed Mackey and Michael Dominski
August 31, 2023 at 2:45 PM EDT
(Photo: Getty Images)
Champions League group draw & award results
Champions League group draw results:
- Group A: Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Copenhagen, Galatasaray
- Group B: Sevilla, Arsenal, PSV, Lens
- Group C: Napoli, Real Madrid, Braga, Union Berlin
- Group D: Benfica, Inter Milan, Red Bull Salzburg, Real Sociedad
- Group E: Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid, Lazio, Celtic
- Group F: Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Newcastle United
- Group G: Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade, Young Boys
- Group H: Barcelona, Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Royal Antwerp
Award results:
- Men's player of the year: Erling Haaland
- Women's player of the year: Aitana Bonmati
- Men's coach of the year: Pep Guardiola
- Women's coach of the year: Sarina Wiegman
- UEFA President's Award: Miroslav Klose
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Champions League group draw and fixtures 2023-24: Man Utd vs Bayern, Newcastle face PSG
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England vs Germany
The group stage draw has given us three matchups between German teams and English sides:
- Bayern Munich vs Manchester United
- Borussia Dortmund vs Newcastle United
- RB Leipzig vs Manchester City
Last season, German sides won only one of their 10 Champions League matches against English teams, drawing four and losing five.
Group of Death confirmed
(Opta)
Again, no surprise that Group F ranks as the toughest from top to bottom, according to Opta. Group E brings up the rear as the weakest.
Who benefitted from the draw?
(Opta)
According to Opta's calculations, Lazio and Barcelona were among the luckiest teams in today's draw, while it's no surprise that Group of Death members Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund were the unluckiest.
Don't count Copenhagen out
(Photo: Getty Images)
FC Copenhagen's first ever Champions League win came against Manchester United (1-0 in November 2006).
Wiegman: Spanish women's national team 'deserves to be listened to'
Aitana Bonmati began her remarks by thanking Sarina Wiegman, who had used her award-winning moment to speak out in support of the Spanish women's national team.
“Accepting this trophy feels a little bit different,” Wiegman said. “We all know the issues with the Spanish football team. It really hurts me as a coach, as a mother of two daughters, as a wife and as a human being.
“It also showed me that there is a long way to go in women’s football and in society. I’d like to dedicate this award to the Spanish team. A team that played such great football that everyone enjoyed. This team deserves to be celebrated and listened to.”
GO FURTHER
The week World Cup champions Spain resolved to ‘fight to the death’ for change
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Aitana Bonmati: 'We can’t allow power abuse in our working place'
(Photo: Getty Images)
After receiving the award for UEFA women's player of the year, Aitana Bonmati spoke about the ongoing controversy within the Spanish national federation:
“We are not going through a great moment in Spanish football, despite coming from winning the World Cup. There’s not many people talking about it because of some episodes that should have never happened. I would like to mention them a bit.
"I think that we, as a society, can’t allow power abuse to take place in our working place, as well as the disrespectful gestures we’ve seen. So I’d like, for my team-mate Jenni (Hermoso) but also all the women who are going through the same: we are with you. I hope we keep improving as a society.”
GO FURTHER
Jenni Hermoso: Record goalscorer, serial swearer and icon of Spanish sport
Barcelona heavy favourites in Group H
Royal Antwerp, with sporting director Marc Overmars and manager Mark van Bommel in charge, complete a group of reunions for Barcelona.
The Catalans have not been as strong of favourites in a Champions League group as they are now for the last past couple of years at least.
Xavi can be happy with the draw — now they are basically obliged go through the group stage.
A look at FC Copenhagen
Manchester United and Bayern Munich will face FC Copenhagen along with Galatasaray in Group A.
Copenhagen, the defending Danish champion, suffered their first defeat of the season over the weekend after winning their first five contests, a 3-1 loss to Silkeborg. Notable players include top youngster Roony Bardghji and former Southampton winger Mohamed Elyounoussi.
Shades of 1999
(Photo: Getty Images)
A big day for Ole Gunnar Solskjær, whose 1999 title-winning strike is bound to get plenty of play as Manchester United was drawn into Group A with Bayern Munich.
The Germans have had more recent success in head-to-head matchups, knocking United out at the quarter-final stage in 2000/01, 2009/10 and 2013/14.
New experiences for Newcastle
Newcastle United have never played any of their three group-stage opponents before in their history.
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The award winners
(Photo: Getty Images)
Erling Haaland, Aitana Bonmati, Sarina Wiegman and Miroslav Klose pictured with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
Pep Guardiola was absent from the ceremony as he recovers from his back surgery
Group B struggling domestically
Group B features two teams which have yet to win a league game in this young season: RC Lens, who have one draw and two defeats to date, and Sevilla, who have lost their first three La Liga matches.
Flashback to 1998
(Photo: Getty Images)
Arsenal’s first ever Champions League game was in fact at Lens in 1998.
That was the season in which Arsenal played their European games at Wembley Stadium.
Lens return to elite ranks
RC Lens return to the Champions League for the first time in 21 years and they will once again face Arsenal, who they met in the group stages in 1998.
The two sides also met in 2000 in the UEFA Cup.
Comfortable draw for Man City
There’s not an awful lot for City to be concerned about in Group G alongside RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys, and if director of football Txiki Begiristain says otherwise — beyond the usual pleasantries — then he is being too generous.
As long as City keep up their usual standards then they should not have too many problems, which has been the case in the group stage for a number of years now.
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Reunions for Barcelona
Given the potential rivals they faced, FC Barcelona can be happy with their draw. They are joined by Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Royal Antwerp in Group H.
Porto are where they've loaned out promising youngster Nico Gonzalez this season, while a hipster reunion with another one of their former players: 36-year-old Dmytro Chyhrynsky has signed for Shakhtar Donetsk on loan this year!
Erling Haaland wins men's player of the year
Can't say there's much surprise there either!
Aitana Bonmatí wins women's player of the year
Fresh off winning the World Cup and the Golden Ball at that tournament, Barcelona's Aitana Bonmatí picks up another piece of silverware.
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