Champions League Group Stage Draw: Results for 2019-20
The roadmap for the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League was set in Monaco on Thursday, as the 32 participants learned their group opponents at the much-anticipated draw.
The field was completed on Wednesday, when the final three qualifying playoff series were decided. Last season's surprise semifinalist, Ajax, cemented its return to the competition proper, along with Club Brugge and Slavia Praha, joining Tuesday's playoff winners Red Star Belgrade, Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos.
Liverpool is the defending champion and will look to win a seventh European title with the same core group that won it all in Madrid less than three months ago. Its group quest includes a second straight pairing with Napoli, a test against American manager Jesse Marsch's RB Salzburg and Genk.
Another group of note for U.S. fans is Group H, which includes Chelsea (Christian Pulisic), Ajax (Sergino Dest) and Lille (Tim Weah) along with Valencia.
The toughest group may be that of Group F, which includes Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Slavia Prague.
Here are the eight groups that resulted from the draw:
Group A
PSG, Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray
Group B
Bayen Munich, Tottenham, Olympiakos, Red Star Belgrade
Group C
Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb, Atalanta
Group D
Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lokomotiv Moscow
Group E
Liverpool, Napoli, Salzburg, Genk
Group F
Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Slavia Prague
Group G
Zenit-St. Petersburg, Benfica, Lyon, RB Leipzig
Group H
Chelsea, Ajax, Valencia, Lille
In addition to determining the groups, UEFA handed out its awards for Champions League and women's players of the year, in addition to the President's Award, which went to Eric Cantona.
GOALKEEPER OF THE SEASON: Alisson, Liverpool
DEFENDER OF THE SEASON: Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool
MIDFIELDER OF THE SEASON: Frenkie de Jong, Ajax (now Barcelona)
FORWARD OF THE SEASON: Lionel Messi, Barcelona
WOMEN'S PLAYER OF THE SEASON: Lucy Bronze, Lyon/England
MEN'S PLAYER OF THE SEASON: Van Dijk
