MONACO: Titleholders Barcelona were pitted against seven-time winners AC Milan in the draw for the 2011/2012 Champions League group stages held on Thursday.
Aside from Milan, knocked out in the last 16 last term, Pep Guardiola’s Spanish giants will also face FC Bate Borisov of Belarus and Viktoria Plzen in Group H.
Milan and Barca clashed in the 1994 final, with the Italians then managed by Fabio Capello dishing out a 4-0 drubbing to their Spanish rivals in Athens.
Manchester United, making a record 17th appearance in the world’s top club competition, were the first of the 32 teams to be drawn out of UEFA’s ‘hat’ by Portuguese legend Luis Figo.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s three-time winners face Benfica, the Portuguese double winners from the early 1960s, FC Basel and Romanian outfit FC Otelul Galati in Group C.
United and Benfica met in the 1968 final, with the English footballing superpower prevailing for the first of their titles 4-1 on home turf at Wembley.
Figo’s former club, nine-time kings of Europe Real Madrid, come up against old foes Lyon of France, Dutch heavyweights Ajax (drawn in Real’s group last term), and Dinamo Zagreb.
Friday’s 32-team draw featured 11 previous winners and five newcomers, with among the debutants Ferguson’s ‘noisy neighbours’, Manchester City.
Roberto Mancini’s expensively assembled side were handed a tricky assignment with four-time winners Bayern Munich, who had to come through the play-offs, keeping them company in Group A.
Also on City’s radar are Italian group stage first timers Napoli and Villarreal.
Bayern Munich’s director of sport Christian Nerlinger said his side would have a tough time in Group A.
Arsenal’s tricky start to the season with star players Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri leaving the Emirates Stadium for pastures new was eased by their defeat of Udinese in the play-offs.
And the Gunners’ reward for securing their 14th Champions League campaign was a match-up against Didier Deschamps’ Marseille, Borussia Dortmund and Olympiakos.
Chelsea, the fourth representative from the Premier League and last season’s quarterfinalists, are in Group E with Valencia, Chelsea new recuit Juan Mata’s old club, Bayer Leverkusen and Genk. Last season’s quarterfinalists and three times champions Inter Milan come up against Russian outfit CSKA Moscow. (Agencies)