Champions League draw: Bayern with luck, BVB and Union with hammerless

Dhe FC Bayern meets Manchester United, FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray Istanbul in the group stage of the Champions League. Borussia Dortmund faces Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle United. Newcomer 1. FC Union Berlin plays in the premiere in the premier class against Real Madrid, SSC Naples and SC Braga, cup winners RB Leipzig against defending champions Manchester City, Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys Bern. That was the result of the draw of the European Football Union UEFA on Thursday in Monaco.

“I also came to FC Bayern to try to win the Champions League here,” said Harry Kane, a new signing from Munich who cost more than 100 million euros. In the group stage, the captain of the English national team is up against a former Premier League competitor. Many Bayern fans may still have bad memories of the bitterly lost 1999 final against Manchester United.

For Union, the premiere is against two of the toughest possible opponents: the royals from Madrid and the Italian champions Naples are waiting for the Berliners. In the Dortmund group, the French champion Paris with superstar Kylian Mbappé is the toughest chunk. The Man City draw for Leipzig does not seem to be a good omen: last season, RB played 1-1 in their own stadium in the round of 16 against the selection of coach Pep Guardiola and lost 7-0 away with five goals from Erling Haaland, who was the first Won the European Footballer of the Year election.

For women, the Spanish world champion Aitana Bonmati from FC Barcelona was crowned Europe’s best, the choice of coach unsurprisingly won triple coach Guardiola. Sarina Wiegman, who only lost to Spain in the World Cup final with England’s women, received the award for Coach of the Year. The two honored women also commented on the remaining kiss of the Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales.

“We all know problems around the Spanish team. That really hurts me – as a coach, as a mother of two daughters, as a wife, as a person. This shows that there is still a very long way to go in women’s football and in society. It’s a long road,” Wiegman said after winning the award for best coach of a women’s team. In equally haunting and emotional terms, Bonmatí appealed to football officials to set an example for the children.

Former German international Miroslav Klose was also honored in Monaco. The ex-striker received UEFA’s President’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in Football. “Throughout football’s glorious history, certain names have shone with an aura of excellence that is difficult to replicate. One of those names is Miroslav Klose,” Ceferin said of the exceptional German striker and DFB record scorer. The Palatinate is a “role model for fair play,” said the UEFA boss. Not only Klose’s successes were highlighted, but also two scenes from his career at Lazio Rom and Werder Bremen in particular, when he conceded a handball after scoring a goal and decided not to take a penalty.

All 32 clubs are aiming for the final on June 1, 2024 at Wembley Stadium in London. The group stage starts on September 19th and ends before Christmas on December 13th. The two best clubs move into the round of 16, while those third in the group are relegated to the Europa League. No Bundesliga club made it past the quarter-finals last season, with English champions Manchester City triumphing in June.