Manchester Clubs Get Exciting Champions League Draws
Fans of the two Manchester clubs had reason to be excited this week as the draw was made for the Champions League, providing some exciting dates to look forward to.
Holders City were drawn in Group G with a familiar opponent in the shape of RB Leipzig, a team they memorably hammered 7-0 in last season’s competition, with five goals from Erling Haaland.
Alongside them will be Crvena Svedza, better known as Red Star Belgrade, who became only the second East European team to become Champions of Europe when they triumphed over Marseille on penalties in 1991. Swiss side Young Boys complete the group.
While winning the treble may have sent many fans heading to sports shops in Manchester to buy City gear in celebration, older fans will recall United’s own treble in 1999, with memories of their astounding comeback victory over Bayern Munich in the final being revived after United drew the Bavarian team in Group A.
With England captain Harry Kane, so often linked with a transfer to Old Trafford, now leading the line for the German champions, this is one of the most exciting clashes of the group stage.
The rest of the group is made up of new striker Rasmus Hojlund’s former club FC Copenhagen, whom United last faced in the Europa League in 2020, as well as old foes Galatasaray, whom they played in successive years in the mid-1990s amid ‘Welcome to Hell’ banners at Istanbul Airport.
England’s other representatives in the competition will be Arsenal – who were drawn with Europa League winners Sevilla, 1988 winners PSV Eindhoven and French club Lens – plus Newcastle, who face a tough but exciting group featuring the might of Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and seven-time winners AC Milan.
Manchester City became the 23rd different winner of Europe’s biggest competition last year and made Manchester only the second city, alongside Milan, to have two clubs in this exclusive list.