The Champions League inched closer to kicking off for real this season after the group stage draw was made by UEFA officials and special guestsย in Monaco on Thursday evening.
The 32 qualifiers were drawn into the usual eight groups of four (A-H) after being earlier split into the seeded pots (1-4) based on their UEFA ranking.
Aiming for a fourth successive European title, reigning championsย โReal Madridย will contend with 2017/18 semi finalistsย Roma, CSKA Moscow andย Viktoria Plzenย in Group G.
Plenty of eyes were on Juventus at the draw, with the reigning Italian champions keen to win their first European crown since 1996 after signing five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo.ย They will face Ronaldo's former clubย Manchester United, as well as Valencia and Young Boys.
Liverpoolย were drawn into a tough group andย will face Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli and 1991 championsย Red Star Belgradeย over the next three months as the Reds look to prove that last season's journey to the final in Kyivย was no fluke.
Pep Guardiola is looking to steer English championsย โManchester Cityย to Champions League glory for the first time, but must first navigate a group containing Shakhtar Donetsk for the second successive year, as well as Lyon and Hoffenheim.
His old clubย โBarcelonaย have spent heavily in the transfer market over last 12 months and must get the better of Tottenham, PSV Eindhoven and a returningย Interย to progress from Group B.
2018/19 UEFA Champions League Group Draw in Full:
| โGroup A | โAtletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Club Brugge |
| โGroup B | Barcelona, โTottenham Hotspur, PSV Eindhoven, Inter |
| โGroup C | Paris Saint-Germain, โNapoli, Liverpool, Red Star Belgrade |
| โGroup D | Lokomotiv Moscow, Porto, โSchalke, Galatasaray |
| โGroup E | Bayern Munich, โBenfica, Ajax, AEK Athens |
| โGroup F | โManchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon, Hoffenheim |
| โGroup G | Real Madrid, โRoma, CSKA Moscow, Viktoria Plzen |
| โGroup H | Juventus, โManchester United, Valencia, Young Boys |
The group stage will get underway next month, with matchday one scheduled for 18/19 September. Games will be played throughout October and November and the phase will conclude with matchday six on 11/12 December.
The final will be played at Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid on Saturday 1st June 2019.