UCL draw: Bayern Munich, Barcelona headline Group C; Karim Benzema wins men’s player of the year

The UEFA Champions League (UCL) draws are out and defending champions Real Madrid are placed in Group F. RB Lepzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Celtic are the other three teams pooled in the same group.

Meanwhile, Premier League winners Manchester City face a tricky test, with Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund also part of the same group. Copenhagen is the fourth team in Group G.

Barcelona and Bayern Munich have been clubbed in the same pool, which is Group C.

Here are the team wise distribution of all the groups for Round of 32:

Group A: Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, Rangers FC

Group B: FC Porto, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Club Brugge

Group C: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan, FC Viktoria Plzen

Group D: Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham Hotspur, Sporting Clube De Portugal, Olympique de Marseille

Group E: AC Milan, Chelsea FC, FC Salzburg, GNK Dinamo Zagreb

Group F: Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, FC Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic FC

Group G: Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, FC Copenhagen

Group H: Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Benfica, Maccabi Haifa FC

Meanwhile, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was awarded the UEFA Men’s Coach of the Year. He guided Madrid to the UCL title last season, which was also his second with the club. Overall he has won four Champions League titles, the most by any managers in the history of the competition.

The English Women’s team coach Sarina Wiegman was awarded the UEFA Women’s Coach of the Year award. She was the coach of the England team, which went to clinch the Women’s Euro 2022 title recently.

Among the players, Alexia Putellas won the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award. Karim Benzema won the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award. The Madrid forward had won the La Liga and Champions League last season. He was also the top scorer in both the Champions League and La Liga in the previous season. He had scored 15 goals in the elite European footballing event and had netted 27 times in the Spanish league.