The draw for the Group Stage of the 2006/2007 Champions League (European Cup) has been made. English Champions Chelsea have been put into Group A with Barcelona, who are the European Champions after winning this competition last season. Manchester United have been drawn in the same group as Scottish Champions Celtic, last year's losing finalists Arsenal must play Hamburg and 2005 winners Liverpool are drawn against Bordeaux.
Barcelona are the favourites to win the Champions League and Chelsea the second favourites. The Final will be in Athens in May.
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The draw in full
Group A
Barcelona (SPA)
Chelsea (ENG)
Werder Bremen (GER)
Levski Sofia (BUL)
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Group B
Inter Milan (ITA)
Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR)
Spartak Moscow (RUS)
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Group C
Liverpool (ENG)
PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Bordeaux (FRA)
Galatasaray (TUR)
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Group D
Valencia (SPA)
Roma (ITA)
Olympiacos (GRE)
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
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Group E
Real Madrid (SPA)
Lyon (FRA)
Steaua Bucharest (ROM)
Dynamo Kiev (UKR)
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Group F
Manchester United (ENG)
Celtic (SCO)
Benfica (POR)
FC Copenhagen (DEN)
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Group G
Arsenal (ENG)
Porto (POR)
CSKA Moscow (RUS)
Hamburg (GER)
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Group H
AC Milan (ITA)
Lille (FRA)
AEK Athens (GRE)
Anderlecht (BEL)
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The Format
The teams in each group play each other twice, home and away. The top two from each group qualify for the Last 16. Those 8 matches will be played over 2 legs (so the teams play twice against whoever they are drawn against, home and away)) with the winner on the aggregate score accumulated over both legs going through to the Quarter Finals. The Quarter Finals and Semi-Finals will also be two legged affairs, with each team playing whoever they were drawn against twice and the teams who win on aggregate proceeding to the next round.
The Final will be just the one game, with each team playing in a neutral stadium in Athens unless, of course, AEK Athens reach the Final, in which case it will have to be played elsewhere.
Barcelona are the favourites to win the Champions League and Chelsea the second favourites. The Final will be in Athens in May.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The draw in full
Group A
Barcelona (SPA)
Chelsea (ENG)
Werder Bremen (GER)
Levski Sofia (BUL)
---------------------------
Group B
Inter Milan (ITA)
Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR)
Spartak Moscow (RUS)
-------------------------
Group C
Liverpool (ENG)
PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Bordeaux (FRA)
Galatasaray (TUR)
------------------------------
Group D
Valencia (SPA)
Roma (ITA)
Olympiacos (GRE)
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
--------------------------------
Group E
Real Madrid (SPA)
Lyon (FRA)
Steaua Bucharest (ROM)
Dynamo Kiev (UKR)
-----------------------------
Group F
Manchester United (ENG)
Celtic (SCO)
Benfica (POR)
FC Copenhagen (DEN)
------------------------------
Group G
Arsenal (ENG)
Porto (POR)
CSKA Moscow (RUS)
Hamburg (GER)
----------------------------
Group H
AC Milan (ITA)
Lille (FRA)
AEK Athens (GRE)
Anderlecht (BEL)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Format
The teams in each group play each other twice, home and away. The top two from each group qualify for the Last 16. Those 8 matches will be played over 2 legs (so the teams play twice against whoever they are drawn against, home and away)) with the winner on the aggregate score accumulated over both legs going through to the Quarter Finals. The Quarter Finals and Semi-Finals will also be two legged affairs, with each team playing whoever they were drawn against twice and the teams who win on aggregate proceeding to the next round.
The Final will be just the one game, with each team playing in a neutral stadium in Athens unless, of course, AEK Athens reach the Final, in which case it will have to be played elsewhere.