Football has given Barça the chance to redeem itself. The draw for the group stage of the Champions League 2017/18 means Barcelona will again cross paths with Juventus who knocked them out in the quarter finals last season.
Ernesto Valverde's team will have to overcome Juventus, Olympiakos and Sporting in an achievable first round to progress to the last sixteen.
The matches against Olympiakos will see Valverde face off against one of his former teams. The current Barcelona coach spent three years managing the Greek team in two stretches. The matches against Sporting will also have an added twist with the return of Jeremy Mathieu to Camp Nou. The French defender left Barcelona this summer after three seasons.
This is the official calendar of the six matches Barcelona will play in the group stage:
- 12/09: Barça-Juventus
- 27/09: Sporting-Barça
- 18/10: Barça-Olympiakos
- 31/10: Olympiakos-Barça
- 22/11: Juventus-Barça
- 05/12: Barça-Sporting
The eight groups
Real Madrid has been one of the least lucky teams in the draw held in Monaco's Forum Grimaldi. They will have to start their campaign at full throttle because Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham will demand the best from them. APOEL of Nicosia is the 'Cinderella' of Group H.
The Atlético Madrid will come face to face with Chelsea in Group C, alongside Roma and debutant Qarabag of Azerbaijan. Sevilla has a feasible group and, in principle, will vie for the leadership of Group E with Liverpool, since Spartak Moscow and Maribor are not thought of as potential threats.
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City will face demanding matches against Napoli, Shakhtar Donetsk and Feyenoord but should have no problems qualifying as leader of Group F.
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benfica | Bayern Munich | Chelsea | Juventus |
| Manchester United | Paris Saint-Germain | Atletico Madrid | FC Barcelona |
| Basle | Anderlecht | Roma | Olympiakos |
| CSKA Moscow | Celtic | Qarabag | Sporting |
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spartak Moscow | Shakhtar Donetsk | Monaco | Real Madrid |
| Sevilla | Manchester City | Porto | Borussia Dortmund |
| Liverpool | Napoli | Besiktas | Tottenham |
| Maribor | Feyenoord | Leipzig | APOEL |