Status: 31.08.2023, 20:15 p.m.
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Group C will be shown on a screen during the draw. © Daniel Cole/AP/dpa
Manchester City, PSG, Real: The Champions League becomes a festival of top games for the Bundesliga clubs right in the group stage. FC Bayern are once again lucky at the draw ceremony.
Monaco - Hans-Joachim Watzke had to swallow hard twice. At FC Bayern, on the other hand, there was a subtle smile. Not Borussia Dortmund, but the record champions from Munich could feel very lucky after the draw for the Champions League groups. Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle United - it couldn't have been much harder for BVB at the ceremony in Monaco on Thursday evening. Bayern, on the other hand, will face Manchester United, FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray Istanbul on their way to the hoped-for title coup - that should not be an obstacle to the knockout phase for coach Thomas Tuchel and his new superstar Harry Kane.
"In the Champions League, every opponent is a challenge that we take on with great enthusiasm and dedication. Manchester United, FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray Istanbul are extremely attractive group opponents for the team and fans, and we look forward to getting underway on Europe's stages soon," said Tuchel.
They can hardly afford this Bavarian serenity in Dortmund. "It's a great group. If we want to make progress, we have to do something extraordinary," said Watzke at the Grimaldi Forum directly on the beach of the Côte d'Azur. "It's difficult, there's no question about it, they're absolute top opponents, it's going to be a tight group," said the BVB boss. But there is no fear in Dortmund: "What a group - let's go," wrote BVB defensive boss Mats Hummels at X about the upcoming duel with PSG star Kylian Mbappé.
There were no complaints about tough opponents in Berlin-Köpenick anyway, but jubilation over duels with two really big names for the premier class newcomer 1. On their debut, the Iron will meet Real Madrid, SSC Napoli and, as in the Europa League, SC Braga - the football fairy tale of the eternal underdog goes on and on, even if a winter is unlikely internationally. "Competitive games against Real and Napoli are extraordinary," said club boss Dirk Zingler. "Today has made not only me, but a lot of Unionists happy," he added. A sold-out Olympic Stadium is guaranteed in Berlin against Real.
The fourth German representative, RB Leipzig, felt like they were in a continuous loop. For the third time, it is against Manchester City - and thus against the defending champion around the newly named European Footballer of the Year Erling Haaland - a shadow for the Saxons. "We have painfully experienced how good this team is. We want to look better against them now than we did in the second leg. It's a great opportunity to compete with the best team in Europe," said managing director Max Eberl, recalling the 0-7 defeat in Manchester in March. In Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys Bern, however, two teams complete the group that Leipzig should be able to beat.
Clubs and fans alike will have to wait until noon on Saturday for the exact fixtures. Only then will UEFA announce which matches will take place on which days. It is already clear that Bayern and Union as well as Dortmund and Leipzig always play on the same day of the week. Three games will also be hosted in Hamburg. Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk are moving to the Hanseatic city because of the Russian war of aggression and will host FC Barcelona, FC Porto and Royal Antwerp at the Volksparkstadion with former Bayern player Mark van Bommel as coach.
The goal of all 32 clubs is the final on 1 June 2024 at London's Wembley Stadium. The group stage starts on 19 September and ends before Christmas on 13 December. The top two clubs advance to the round of sixteen, while the third-placed teams are relegated to the Europa League. Last season, no Bundesliga club had made it past the quarter-finals, in June the English champions Man City triumphed in the final against Inter Milan (1-0).
The last time a Champions League final was played in London, FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund (2-1) met in 2013. "The English weeks are the icing on the cake in our calendar - accordingly: Let's go!", said Bayern veteran Thomas Müller. For BVB in particular, however, the return to London feels like it's a bit further now. Dpa