-
Will Barcelona reclaim the Champions League trophy in London in 2011? - Source: Reuters -
Related
European champions Barcelona will quickly renew acquaintances
with their former striker Samuel Eto'o when they begin the defence
of their trophy at Inter Milan in their opening Champions League
match next month.
The draw also brought together AC Milan and nine-time European
champions Real Madrid in another mouthwatering Italian versus
Spanish clash with Brazil forward Kaka facing his old club at his
new Bernabeu home on Matchday Three.
Eto'o left Barca for Inter in the close season in a swap deal worth
66 million euros ($94.14 million) with Zlatan Ibrahimovic moving in
the opposite direction.
The Cameroon forward scored for Barcelona in the Champions League
finals of 2006 and last May when they won the trophy for the third
time and, just like his Swedish counterpart, will now be looking to
put one over on his former team mates.
"It will be emotional having Samuel Eto'o back at the Nou Camp Nou
and Ibrahimovic at the San Siro," Barcelona president Joan Laporta
told Italian Sky television.
"That's football. It was destiny.
"We know we have a complicated group. We are very proud of last
year but it's over and we are starting again. We must show the same
motivation as last year. Dream and work hard."
Kaka, the subject of another seismic transfer in the close season
when he left Milan to join Real for 67 million euros ($95.38
million), will also relish facing his former club.
Kaka won the European Cup with Milan in 2007, but is now set on
bringing Real a 10th European title in their own Santiago Bernabeu
Stadium, the venue for this season's final on May 22.
Real host Milan on Oct. 21 with the return leg in Madrid two weeks
later.
European Aristocracy
Inter, managed by Jose Mourinho who worked under the late Bobby
Robson as a coach at the Nou Camp in the 1990s, have met Barcelona
six times in European competition with the Spaniards winning three
times and Inter once.
Their only previous Champions League duels came in the second stage
in 2002-03 when Barca won 3-0 at home and drew 0-0 away.
The clash between Milan and Real is another meeting of European
club aristocracy and renews a rivalry that began in the first
session of the European Cup when Real beat Milan in the 1955-56
semi-finals.
They have met 11 times in all, including the 1958 final when Real
beat Milan 3-2 after extra time in Brussels.
The last three times Milan met Madrid, the Italian side went on to
win the title (1989, 1990 and 2003) while the first two times they
met Real won the Cup in 1956 and 1958. The two clubs have won the
European Cup 16 times between them.
Their only previous meeting in the Champions League was in 2002-03
second group stage when Milan won 1-0 at home and lost 3-1
away.
"It's an interesting group," Milan's organisation director Umberto
Gandini told Sky television.
"We have 16 European champions titles between us. It's a stellar
encounter against Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, the encounter the
football world was waiting for."
Drawn alongside Milan and Madrid in Group C are former European Cup
winners Olympique Marseille, who beat the Italian side in the 1993
final, and FC Zurich, back in the elite competition for the first
time in 28 years.
Barcelona and Inter will also face Dynamo Kiev of Ukraine and
Russian newcomers Rubin Kazan in Group F.
Long Distances
Manchester United, last season's beaten finalists, face three clubs
for the first time in Group B where they have been drawn alongside
CSKA Moscow, Besiktas and VfL Wolfsburg.
United chief executive David Gill told reporters: "We cannot
complain about that, apart perhaps from the long distances
involved, but we will be looking forward to going back to Moscow,
we have good memories there winning the trophy in 2008."
Chelsea, bidding to win the competition for the first time under
new coach Carlo Ancelotti - a previous winner as player and coach
with Milan - will meet Porto, Atletico Madrid and APOEL Nicosia,
who are taking part for the first time.
Another intriguing battle will take place in Group A with former
winners Bayern Munich taking on Juventus while Girondins Bordeaux
and Maccabi Haifa complete the group.
Despite their successes in Europe, Bayern and Juve have only
clashed four times, all in the Champions League group stage, with
their last meeting coming in 2005-06 when both teams won 2-1 at
home in the group stage.
The competition starts with Matchday One on Sept.15/16.
2009-10 Champions League group stage draw made on Friday:
GROUP A: Bayern Munich, Juventus, Girondins Bordeaux, Maccabi Haifa.
GROUP B: Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, VfL Wolfsburg
GROUP C: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Olympique Marseille, FC Zurich.
GROUP D: Chelsea, Porto, Atletico Madrid, APOEL Nicosia.
GROUP E: Liverpool, Olympique Lyon, Fiorentina, Debrecen.
GROUP F: Barcelona, Inter Milan, Dinamo Kiev, Rubin Kazan.
GROUP G:Sevilla, Rangers, VfB Stuttgart, Unirea Urziceni
GROUP H: Arsenal, AZ Alkmaar, Olmpiakos Piraeus, Standard Liege.
