🌟 Biggest talking points after the Champions League draw | OneFootball

The draw has been made and the stage is set for the group stages of the Champions League.

Mouth-watering clashes and highly anticipated reunions await us.

Lewandowski’s return headlines Group of Death

Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski hasn’t had to wait long for a reunion as the Catalan giants will face Bayern Munich in Group C.

This is the second consecutive year that Bayern and Barça meet in the group stage with Julian Naglesmann’s side cruising to two 3-0 wins last season, demoting Barcelona to the Europa League in the process.

Although that was the early headline, Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan will provide stiff competition in the race to reach the knockout stage, whilst the deck seems heavily stacked against Czech side Viktoria Plzeň.

Celtic face tough UCL return

After a five-year exile from Europe’s top competition, Scottish champions Celtic enter a rather oddly balanced group alongside Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Last year’s winner Real should get through to the knock-out round without too many complications as they begin the hunt for their 15th title, although a young new-look midfield could take a while to find its feet.

RB Leipzig are without a doubt the pick of the rest although the gap between the German side, Shakhtar Donetsk (who will lay their home games in Warsaw, Poland) and Celtic isn’t insurmountable.

A tough but exciting introduction to Champions League group stage football for manager Ange Postecoglou.

No time to reminisce for Dortmund

The gods of fated reunions have been meddling in the affairs of another former Bundesliga forward as Manchester City face Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund and Copenhagen in another fiercely competitive group.

Man City are sure to be amongst the favourites to win the competition, although all eyes will be eagerly anticipating Erling Haaland’s return to his former club Dortmund.

More interestingly, perhaps, is who will likely follow them out of the group. Sevilla had a tremendous campaign last year, BVB are seeking a new balance following Haaland’s departure and Copenhagen will be eager to perform in their return.

New look PSG begin with fitting test

Paris Saint-Germain have undergone somewhat of a change in the past couple of months and their progress will be put to the test as they face Juventus, Benfica and Maccabi Haifa.

Their hunt for the top prize in European football has fallen disappointingly short year after year but with a change in recruitment strategy, and the appointment of Christophe Galtier, could this be the year they finally reach their goal?

Ángel Di María completes the high-profile reunion tour of 2022/23 as the Argentine winger returns to PSG where he spent seven seasons.

Maccabi Haifa, returning to the Champions League stage for the first time since 2009, are unlikely to progress but who doesn’t love the possibility of a historic upset as Benfica adjust to life without Darwin Núñez.

Fortune favours the English

There’s nothing too exciting to mention about Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham’s group draws.

Liverpool face Ajax, Napoli and Rangers, whose qualification marks the first time in 15 years that two Scottish teams have taken part in the Champions League, in a group rich in European history.

Chelsea, on the other hand, will need to overcome defending Serie A champions Milan as well as Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb.

Tottenham return to Europe’s top competition against Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting CP and Marseille.

The draw favours all three English sides but nothing should be taken for granted.