Holders Barcelona get favourable Champions League draw

Draw made for group stages; Mourinho’s Chelsea in same group as Porto.

barcelona
Barcelona beat Juventus in the final earlier this year [Getty Images]

Holders Barcelona were handed a favorable draw with Bayer Leverkusen, Roma and BATE Borisov in the Champions League.

Real Madrid were placed in a tougher group with Shakhtar Donetsk and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s current and first clubs, Paris Saint-Germain and Malmo.

Champions League winners (last 10)
2014-15 Barcelona
2013-14 Real Madrid
2012-13 Bayern Munich
2011-12 Chelsea
2010-11 Barcelona
2009-10 Inter Milan
2008-09 Barcelona
2007-08 Manchester United
2006-07 AC Milan
2005-06 Barcelona

Europe’s four highest-ranked leagues meet in the group of Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla and Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Manchester United return after a one-year absence against top-seeded PSV Eindhoven, plus CSKA Moscow and Wolfsburg.

Chelsea were grouped with coach Jose Mourinho’s former club Porto, Dynamo Kiev and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Bayern Munich will face Arsenal, Olympiakos and Dinamo Zagreb.

The trip up to six time zones east to newcomer Astana in Kazakhstan went to Benfica, Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray.

The eight groups begin six rounds of play on September 15.

Group A

Paris St Germain
Real Madrid
Shakhtar Donetsk
Malmo

Group B

PSV Eindhoven
Manchester United
CSKA Moscow
VfL Wolfsburg

Timeline of Barcelona’s Champions League triumphs

Group C

Benfica
Atletico Madrid
Galatasaray
Astana

Group D

Juventus
Manchester City
Sevilla
Borussia Moenchengladbach

Group E

Barcelona
Bayer Leverkusen
AS Roma
BATE Borisov

Group F

Bayern Munich
Arsenal
Olympiakos Piraeus
Dinamo Zagreb

Group G

Chelsea
Porto
Dynamo Kiev
Maccabi Tel Aviv

Group H

Zenit St Petersburg
Valencia
Olympique Lyonnais
Ghent

Source: News Agencies