UCL DRAW: Lewandowski returns to Bayern in the group of death

Mueez Ajao

– Barcelona will face Bayern Munich, Inter and Viktoria Plzen in the group stage of the 2022/23 Champions League.

– The Catalans have been pitted in the toughest group of this year’s edition, with Xavi Hernandez’s side now having their work cut out to progress to the knockout stages, which they failed to do last season.

– Barcelona will face the side that everyone wanted to avoid in the German champions. They have started the season like a steamroller, winning all their games and scoring lots of goals.

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– Robert Lewandowski will face his former teammates in what will elevate the motivation for both sides.

– The two teams have met 13 times in the tournament, with the Germans winning nine times, the Catalans twice, and two draws.

– The last time they met was in the group stage last season and Barcelona lost both encounters. But the most painful defeat was 8-2 loss in August 2020.

– Simone Inzaghi’s Inter have strengthened a lot this season. They were one of the strongest teams in Pot C.

– They have won both of their games this season and are top of Serie A. The Romelu Lukaku – Lautaro Martinez partnership is back together too.

– The two sides have met recently, having met in the 2019/20 campaign, with Barcelona winning both games.

– The Czech team are the most manageable opponent in Group C. They are in seventh position in their league, which is led by Slavia Prague.

– Their veteran and experienced coach, Michal Bílek, has put together a compact and hard-working squad in which teamwork is a priority, but they are expected to be the whipping boys of the group.

– Liverpool and Rangers will meet in the Champions League group stage, while Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is set to face his old club Borussia Dortmund.

– Scottish champions Celtic are in the same group as holders Real Madrid and Chelsea face AC Milan.

– Eintracht Frankfurt, who are making their group stage debut, are in the same group as Tottenham.

Group stage draw in full;

Group A: Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, Rangers

Group B: Porto, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Club Bruges

Group C: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Viktoria Plzen

Group D: Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham, Sporting Lisbon, Marseille

Group E: AC Milan, Chelsea, RB Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb

Group F: Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic

Group G: Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, FC Copenhagen

Group H: Paris St-Germain, Juventus, Benfica, Maccabi Haifa