New Delhi:
Juventus will meet Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League 2018/19 group stage as Cristiano Ronaldo prepares himself to face his former side in the Group H clash of UCL. The Portuguese skipper joined Italian giants Juventus from Champions League defending champions Real Madrid in the summer transfer window for reported fees of £100 million.
Ronaldo has only played against his former side Manchester United only three times since leaving the Red Devils in 2009 and scored in both the legs of the 2013 match-up in the UCL as the Los Blancos defeated the Manchester side 3-2 on aggregate. Real Madrid’s all-time leading scorer will also make his return to Spain as Juventus are also scheduled to face La Liga club Valencia. The Spanish giants will also face Swiss champions Young Boys.
The return of Ronaldo.
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 30, 2018
🎬 Part II
ðŸŸï¸ Old Trafford
â„¹ï¸ Man. United 🆚 Juventus #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/vLv0FvcVqu
The Juventus-Manchester United will also mark the return of 2018 World Cup winner Paul Pogba to face his former side after playing for the Turin side from 2012-2016.
In other group stage draws, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool is also set for some tough matches as they got Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain and Italian giants Napoli.
"For sure, when you have already a group with Paris Saint-Germain and Napoli -- two absolutely top teams -- then you don't want to have Liverpool as the third team," Klopp said. "
Barcelona’s group also guarantees some tasty fixtures as they were drawn with Inter Milan, Tottenham Hotspur, and Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven.
The UEFA Champions League 2018/19 Group stage begins from September 18, with two clubs from each group will advance to the knockout round.
The complete groups of UEFA Champions League 2018/19:
Group A:Â Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Club Brugge
Group B:Â Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, PSV Eindhoven, Inter Milan
Group C:Â Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli, Liverpool, Red Star Belgrade
Group D:Â Lokomotiv Moscow, Porto, Schalke, Galatasaray
Group E:Â Bayern Munich, Benfica, Ajax, AEK Athens
Group F:Â Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon, Hoffenheim
Group G:Â Real Madrid, Roma, CSKA Moscow, Viktoria Plzen
Group H:Â Juventus, Manchester United, Valencia, Young Boys
The official result of the #UCLdraw! 🤩
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 30, 2018
Toughest group? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/G6rPKtQuU8
Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium will host the final on June 1.
