Defending champions Barcelona were drawn with seven-time champion AC Milan after the 2011/2012 Champions League group draw made in Monaco on Thursday.
Apart from Milan, who crashed out in the last 16 last season, the Spanish giants coach Pep Guardiola will also face FC Bate Borisov of Belarus and Viktoria Plzen in Group H.
Apart from Milan, who crashed out in the last 16 last season, the Spanish giants coach Pep Guardiola will also face FC Bate Borisov of Belarus and Viktoria Plzen in Group H.
Manchester United, who were making a record 17th appearance to those in the world's premier club competition, becoming the first team of 32 teams drawn in the draw ceremony conducted by the Portuguese legend Luis Figo.
Club champion three times the coach Sir Alex Ferguson will face Benfica, twice winner of the Portuguese in the early 1960s, FC Basel and FC club Otelul Galati Romania in Group C.
Figo's former club, nine-times European champions Real Madrid, will face their old enemy Lyon of France, the Dutch club Ajax heavyweight, and Dinamo Zagreb.
A total of 32 teams are drawn consisted of 11 teams have ever won before, five teams of newcomers, with whom Ferguson is a neighboring club, Manchester City.
Roberto Mancini will face a tough task against four-time champion Bayern Munich, who must go through the playoffs, in Group A. In addition to those in the group are the Italians who first appeared in the group stages of Naples, and Villarreal.
Initial weight of Arsenal this season with the departure of star player Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri from the Emirates Stadium, facilitated by the defeat of his opponent, Udinese, in the playoffs.
Arsenal reward because securing their 14th appearance in the Champions League is to face Marseille, Borussia Dortmund, and Olympiakos.
Chelsea, four representatives from the Premier League and quarter-finalists last season, are in Group E along with Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen, and Genk.
Quarter-finalists last season and three-time winners Inter Milan will face the Russian team CSKA Moscow, Lille, and Trabzonspor in Group B.
Group G consists of a team that had also been a champion of the competition that is FC Porto, who will face Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit St Petersburg, and APOEL Nicosia.
The long road to the final which will be held on May 19, 2012 at the Munich stadium, owned by Bayern, will begin on 13 September with the opening match of the group stages this season.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the first knockout round, with third-placed teams go down to the European League.
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