MANCHESTER United chief executive David Gill revealed the Old Trafford outfit were looking forward to defending the crown and, in particular, to renewing their friendly rivalry with Scottish champions Celtic.
United, who beat Chelsea on penalties to lift the European Cup for the third time last May, were also drawn yesterday with Villarreal of Spain and Champions League debutants AaB Aalborg of Denmark in their opening matches in Group E.
"Overall we
are pretty pleased with the draw," said Gill.
"As defending champions we're going to look forward to it."
Gill added that he was excited at the prospect of two more ties with Celtic. In the 2006-07 tournament the English and Scottish clubs played out pulsating encounters in both Manchester and Glasgow – United winning 3-2 at Old Trafford before losing 1-0 at Celtic Park.
"It's a great event, their passionate fans and our passionate fans at Old Trafford and up at Celtic Park," Gill said.
"I'm sure the players and fans are looking forward to those fixtures. You get a tingle in your spine when you see the flashbacks to Moscow. Everyone at the club is very motivated."
Chelsea will face AS Roma of Italy, Girondins Bordeaux of France, and Romanian debutants CFR Cluj in their opening games in Group A.
Real Madrid and Juventus were drawn together in Group H, along with Uefa Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg and BATE Borisov of Belarus, who are both playing in the competition for the first time.
Liverpool, five-times European champions, who survived a scare before beating Standard Liege of Belgium 1-0 in extra-time on Wednesday to qualify for the group stage, will face PSV Eindhoven, Atletico Madrid and Olympique Marseilles.
The competition proper starts on 16-17 September with the final in Rome on 27 May.
United open the defence of their title with a home match against Villarreal on 17 September.
There is also a fascinating series of games in Group B with Inter Milan, looking to become European champions for the first time since 1965 under new coach Jose Mourinho, facing Werder Bremen, Panathinaikos of Greece and debutants Anorthosis Famagusta of Cyprus. Mourinho, who won the competition with Porto in 2004, told his club's website: "Even after seeing the teams we have to face, you never know if it will be an easy first phase or a difficult one.
"Our first aim is to get through the group, our second is to try to finish first in Group B. Certainly we are very motivated and confident, we want to start playing in the Champions League as quickly as possible."
There could hardly be a greater contrast between two clubs than nine-time European champions Real Madrid and BATE Borisov of Belarus. They meet in the opening match at the Bernabeu on 17 September.
"BATE Borisov are a modest side who you have to show respect towards because every team can spring a surprise, and if you lose points at the start they can be difficult to make up later on," Real sports director Predrag Mijatovic told club website www.realmadrid.com.
There will be a memorable homecoming for Fernando Torres, who left Atletico Madrid a hero for Liverpool last year and has since become a hero at Anfield after scoring 32 goals in his debut season for the club. Liverpool travel to Madrid on 22 October.
The full article contains 569 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
