Champions League group stage: Chelsea and Tottenham handed tough draws

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have drawn tough assignments in the Champions League after landing the Madrid clubs, Atlético and Real respectively, in the group stage of Europe’s elite competition. The Premier League’s other representatives – Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City – fared well in comparison to their London rivals.

Antonio Conte’s champions face a gruelling test to reach the knockout stage on and off the pitch after landing Diego Costa’s previous, and maybe next, club, Atlético, Roma and Qarabag in the draw held in Monaco. Chelsea’s first Group C game, on 12 September, is at Qarabag, with a round trip of almost 6,000 miles to play the Azerbaijan champions and first time qualifiers in Baku. The journey adds to a demanding schedule for Conte and his team who play Arsenal, City, United and Liverpool in the Premier League immediately after Champions League fixtures this season.

Spurs’s prospects of qualifying appear more complicated. Along with the European and Spanish champions Real, and reunion with Gareth Bale, they face Borussia Dortmund and the Cypriot champions Apoel Nicosia. Tottenham have played Real four times in European competition, Borussia twice, and have yet to beat either of the top two teams drawn in Group H. The London side first face Dortmund at Wembley, their temporary home, on 13 September.

Arguably no British side has a more difficult challenge than Celtic, who were always at risk of a daunting group with being drawn from pot four. Brendan Rodgers’ team face Bayern Munich, Neymar and co at Paris Saint-Germain plus the Belgian champions Anderlecht. Celtic’s first match, in Group B, is against PSG at Parkhead on 12 September.

For Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho and Jürgen Klopp, there were more encouraging groups to navigate. Liverpool’s reward for sweeping aside Hoffenheim in the play-off second leg on Wednesday was a draw against the Russia champions Spartak Moscow, Sevilla and Maribor, the champions of Slovenia. The encounter with Sevilla – Liverpool’s first Group E opponents, at Anfield on 13 September – will bring back unwanted memories of defeat in the 2016 Europa League final for Liverpool, a loss that denied Klopp his first opportunity to lead the Anfield club back into the Champions League, although the Andalucian side have undergone major change since that final.

United, who qualified directly for the group stage courtesy of winning the Europa League last season, have an inviting draw on paper, against Benfica, Basel and CSKA Moscow but will know from recent history that they can ill-afford any complacency. Sir Alex Ferguson’s team finished third behind Benfica and Basel in the 2011-12 group stage having reached three of the previous four Champions League finals. Their first Group A fixture is at home against Basel on 12 September.

Manchester rivals City will be also confident of progressing from a group containing Shakhtar Donetsk, Napoli and Feyenoord although a trip to Ukraine – Shakhtar play their home games in Kharkiv – adds to an intensive schedule for Guardiola’s title favourites. They begin their Group F campaign at Feyenoord on 13 September.

City are the only Premier League club to have more away games after Champions League fixtures than home matches, four in total. They face trips to Chelsea and United after midweek European games, as well as Watford and Huddersfield Town, while Mourinho’s team travel only to Huddersfield and Chelsea after Champions League duties. Spurs play at their temporary Wembley home on five of the six post-European weekends.

Merseyside and Manchester derbies follow the final Champions League group matches, with Liverpool and United at home respectively. Klopp’s qualifiers travel to Newcastle United, Spurs and West Ham United after Group E fixtures.

Speaking of Liverpool and United, the sides play in Moscow on consecutive nights – the former away against Spartak on 26 September and the later away against CSKA on 27 September, providing Russian police with potential flashpoints to cope with given the animosity that exists between both sets of supporters.

Champions League draw in full

Group A: Benfica, Manchester United, Basel, CSKA Moscow

Group B: Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Anderlecht, Celtic

Group C: Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, Roma, Qarabag

Group D: Juventus, Barcelona, Olympiakos, Sporting

Group E: Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, Liverpool, Maribor

Group F: Shakhtar Donetsk, Manchester City, Napoli, Feyenoord

Group G: Monaco, Porto, Besiktas, Leipzig

Group H: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham, APOEL