The groupings are set for the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League, and Manchester United are in Group F. Whenever these draws are conducted, the first thing we look for are of course #narratives and this grouping certainly has that!
Just yesterday we learned that United will face good old friend David Moyes in the Carabao Cup, as they’re set to tussle with their former manager and West Ham United in the third round of that domestic cup competition. In Europe, they’ll get an opponent they just tangled with in a trophy game a couple months ago.
The 2021/22 Champions League Group Stage! ?
Bring. It. On! #UCL | #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/EUrYvK9aFj
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 26, 2021
That’s right, a rematch with Villareal, the Spanish side that defeated them in a penalty shootout at the end of May. United and Villareal are in the same UCL grouping, so we’ll see if the Red Devils can exact vengeance.
UEFA Champions League Group Stage Full Draw
GROUP A: Manchester City (England), Paris Saint-Germain (France), RB Leipzig (Germany), Club Brugge (Belgium).
GROUP B: Atletico Madrid (Spain), Liverpool (England), FC Porto (Portugal), AC Milan (Italy).
GROUP C: Sporting CP (Portugal), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Ajax (Netherlands), Besiktas (Turkey).
GROUP D: Inter Milan (Italy), Real Madrid (Spain), Shakhtar Dontesk (Ukraine), FC Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova).
GROUP E: Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Benfica (Portugal), Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine).
GROUP F: Villarreal (Spain), Manchester United (England), Atalanta (Italy), Young Boys (Switzerland).
GROUP G: Lille (France), Sevilla (Spain), FC Salzburg (Austria), Wolfsburg (Germany).
GROUP H: Chelsea (England), Juventus (Italy), Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia), Malmo (Sweden).
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.