Celtic and Rangers discover Champions League group stage opponents as draw throws up glamour ties
Celtic and Rangers have learned their Champions League group stage opponents, with both sides landing glamour ties against holders Real Madrid and English giants Liverpool respectively.
The draw was made by former Manchester City star Yaya Toure and ex-Bayern Munich midfielder Hamit Altintop in Istanbul, with both Scottish teams in Pot 4.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdCeltic, who gained automatic qualifcation after being crowned Scottish Premiership champions last season, return to the group stage after a five-year absence.
Rangers, who qualified via the play-offs after overcoming Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and PSV Eindhoven will make their first appearance in the group stages in 12 years.
The last time Scotland had two representatives in the group phase of UEFA’s premier competition was in 2007/08 and both Glasgow giants will relish the opportunity to test themselves against some of Europe’s elite clubs.
2022/23 UEFA Champions League groups in full:
GROUP A - Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, RANGERS
GROUP B - FC Porto, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Club Brugge
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdGROUP C - Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Viktoria Plzen
GROUP D - Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham Hotspur, Sporting Lisbon, Marseille
GROUP E - AC Milan, Chelsea, Red Bull Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb
GROUP F - Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, CELTIC
GROUP G - Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, FC Copenhagen
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdGROUP H - Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, SL Benfica, Maccabi Haifa
Celtic opponents detailed
REAL MADRID (ESP)
Pot: 1
UEFA coefficient ranking: 4
How they qualified: Champions League holders
Last season: Winners (1-0 vs Liverpool)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1955/56, 1956/57, 1957/58, 1958/59, 1959/60, 1965/66, 1997/98, 1999/2000, 2001/02, 2013/14. 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2021/22)
Interesting fact: Real Madrid have never failed to make it through the group stage of the UEFA Champions League
RB LEIPZIG (GER)
Pot: 2
UEFA coefficient ranking: 13
How they qualified: Fourth in Bundesliga
Last season: Group stage (third), Europa League semi-finals
Best European Cup performance: Semi-Finals (2019/20)
Interesting fact: RB Leipzig’s 5-0 win at Club Brugge in the group stage last season was their biggest victory in any European game
SHAKHTAR DONETSK (UKR)
Pot: 3
UEFA coefficient ranking: 22
How they qualified: Ukrainian champions
Last season: Group stage (fourth)
Best European Cup performance: Quarter-Finals (2010/11)
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdInteresting fact: Shakhtar have reached the group stage for the 17th time but not progressed further in 12 of the previous 16 campaigns
Rangers opponents detailed
AJAX (NED)
Pot: 1
UEFA coefficient ranking: 15
How they qualified: Eredivisie champions
Last season: Round of 16 (Lost 3-2 vs Benfica on agg)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1970/71, 1971/72, 1972/73, 1994/95)
Interesting fact: Ajax won all six group games for the first time in their history last season, topping their group for the first time since 1995/96 as a result
LIVERPOOL (ENG)
Pot: 2
UEFA coefficient ranking: 2
How they qualified: Runners-up in English Premier League
Last season: Runners-up (Lost 1-0 vs Real Madrid)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1976/77, 1977/78, 1980/81, 1983/84, 2004/05, 2018/19)
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdInteresting fact: Liverpool became the first English club to win all six of their games in a single Champions League group stage last season
NAPOLI (ITA)
Pot: 3
UEFA coefficient ranking: 25
How they qualified: Third in Serie A
Last season: Europa League knockout round play-offs
Best European Cup performance: Round of 16 (2011/12, 2016/17, 2019/20)
Interesting fact: Napoli have advanced through the group stage in three of their six appearances, but were eliminated in the round of 16 on each occasion they made the knockout stages
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.