There are plenty of storylines and things to look out for following the Champions League group stage draw which crowned Milan as the unluckiest team among Serie A representatives with the Rossoneri facing their ex-stars Gigio Donnarumma and Sandro Tonali.
Stefano Pioli said at a press conference on Thursday that the plane’s captain would have informed his players about the outcome of the Champions League group stage draw which took place while the Rossoneri were on a flight to the capital ahead of Friday’s Serie A meeting with José Mourinho’s Roma.
The Rossoneri boss may not be happy to find himself stuck in this season’s ‘group of death’ although he had predicted Milan would have a tricky group stage. He was not wrong. Former heroes Donnarumma and Tonali will be back to San Siro alongside Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund, one of Christian Pulisic’s ex-clubs.
Reunions were surely the leitmotif of today’s Champions League draw. Carlo Ancelotti will return to Napoli with his Real Madrid side and the same will do Leonardo Bonucci with Union Berlin. The Italian centre-back has never played at the Stadio Maradona, but has been one of the Partenopei’s harshest rivals with Juventus over the last decade.
Today, Bonucci left Turin for Germany, where he will sign a one-year deal with the Berlin-based side on Friday.
Inter‘s group is probably more accessible although the Nerazzurri will meet again Portuguese champions Benfica. Simone Inzaghi’s men already beat Roger Schmidt’s side in the quarter-finals last season, while on their way to the Istanbul Final. This time around, they’ll also meet ex-Juventus star Angel Di Maria who returned to Benfica after the end of his contract in Turin earlier this summer.
It would be an error to underestimate FC Salzburg and Real Sociedad but Inter are surely strong enough to aim for a spot in the Round of 16 even as potential group winners.
Lazio were arguably the luckiest Italian club in the draw having had Feyenoord from pot 1, Atletico Madrid and Celtic from pot 2 and 4 respectively.
Don’t get us wrong, none of these games – especially away – will be easy for Maurizio Sarri’s men but, on paper, only the La Liga giants, coached by their ex-midfielder Diego Simeone are stronger than the Biancocelesti.
UEFA will soon release the fixture list with the opening group stage games played on September 19 and 20. It’s going to be another exciting Champions League season, the last one with this formula and 32 clubs involved, but there is already so much to talk about that we can’t wait to get started.
Italian clubs in UCL draw.
Group C
Napoli
Real Madrid
Braga
Union Berlin
Group D
Benfica
Inter
FC Salzburg
Real Sociedad
Group E
Feyenoord
Atletico Madrid
Lazio
Celtic
Group F
PSG
Borussia Dortmund
Milan
Newcastle United