Status: 08/26/2021 7:19 p.m.
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund got prominent but defeatable opponents in the draw for the group stage of the Champions League. RB Leipzig ended up in a “group of deaths”, VfL Wolfsburg had the luck of the draw.
Bayern Munich will face FC Barcelona, Benfica Lisbon and Dynamo Kiev in the group stage in Group E that begins on September 14. RB Leipzig was hit hard in Group A with Manchester City, Paris St. Germain and Club Bruges.
Borussia Dortmund plays in Group C against Sporting Lisbon, Ajax Amsterdam and Besiktas Istanbul. Outsiders VfL Wolfsburg are waiting in what is supposedly the easiest group G of OSC Lille, FC Sevilla and RB Salzburg.
The exact schedule should be published by Saturday.
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
Manchester city | Atletico Madrid | Sp. Lisbon | Inter Milan |
Paris Saint-Germain | Liverpool FC | Bor. Dortmund | real Madrid |
RB Leipzig | FC Porto | Ajax | NS. Donetsk |
Club Bruges | AC Milan | Besiktas | sheriff |
Group E | Group F. | Group G | Group H. |
Bayern Munich | Villarreal | Lille | Chelsea |
FC Barcelona | Manchester Utd. | Sevilla FC | Juventus |
Ben. Lisbon | At. Bergamo | Salzburg | St. Petersburg |
Dynamo Kiev | YB Bern | VfL Wolfsburg | Malmo |
Changes for the new season
The European Cup 2021/22
Image: Florian von Lebrade / WDR
Some reforms came into force for the 2021/22 season. With the introduction of the Europa Conference League, there are now three competitions. All three are now connected to each other. The group third from the Champions League and the Europa League are relegated to the next competition and play a knockout round against the runners-up to participate in the round of 16.
Leipzig combative, other Bundesliga teams satisfied
Hans-Joachim Watzke, Managing Director of Borussia Dortmund said: “We cannot complain, this is a very balanced group. We have a good chance of making it to the round of 16 again.” Bayern Munich’s sports director Hasan Salihamidzic was also satisfied: “We want to make the group, ideally also first, so that we can make it to the round of 16.”
RB Leipzig is combative because of the difficult lot. “It is of course a real hammer group. Nevertheless, our goal is to assert ourselves in this group and to winter in the premier class for the third time in a row. We have proven in recent years that we can hold our own against absolute top European teams “, said managing director Oliver Mintzlaff.
Wolfsburg, on the other hand, was satisfied. “This is a good group for us,” said goalkeeper and captain Koen Casteels. “We haven’t caught the toughest opponents on paper and the chance of advancing against these teams is probably a little bigger than in other groups.”
Final in St. Petersburg
The group games of the premier class will start on September 14th and 15th, the group stage will be concluded on December 7th and 8th. The final will take place on May 28, 2022 in St. Petersburg.
Source: sportschau.de