Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
For Quick Alerts
ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS  
For Daily Alerts

Ronaldo set for Manchester United return after Champions League draw

Paul Pogba and Cristiano Ronaldo will face their old teams in the Champions League, as Manchester United and Juventus were paired together

By Omnisport
Ronaldo set for Manchester United return after Champions League draw

London, Aug 31: Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo will face former club Manchester United in the Champions League this season after the two European heavyweights were drawn together in Group H on Thursday (August 30).

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo initially rose to prominence on the European stage with United, having joined them as an 18-year-old in 2003.

At Old Trafford, he established himself as one of the best players in the world and won the first of his Ballons d'Or while at United in 2008, the same year of his maiden Champions League success.

Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid the following year, winning four more Champions League titles before joining Juve, with the Turin giants hoping the Portugal star is the final piece of the puzzle in their quest for the first success in Europe since 1995-96.

Paul Pogba will also go up against his former team as United and Juve were drawn alongside Young Boys and Valencia, with the Spanish club tipped to cause some problems.

Ronaldo's former club Madrid - the reigning champions - have been given a somewhat more comfortable draw, with Roma, CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen joining them in Group G.

Last season's beaten finalists Liverpool find themselves in arguably the toughest pool of all, alongside Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade.

Manchester City will fancy their chances of sailing through Group F - Pep Guardiola's men are set to come up against Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon and debutants Hoffenheim.

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich will be similarly confident of their chances, with Benfica, Ajax and AEK Athens unlikely to threaten them for top spot in Group E.

Inter return to the competition for the first time since 2011-12 this term, though they will have their work cut out to reach the knockout phase having been drawn with Barcelona, Tottenham and PSV.

Atletico Madrid qualified by virtue of winning the Europa League and will face Borussia Dortmund, Monaco and Club Brugge, while the Bundesliga side's rivals Schalke are in Group D with Porto, Lokomotiv Moscow and Galatasaray.

Story first published: Friday, August 31, 2018, 0:20 [IST]
Other articles published on Aug 31, 2018