[GreatBriton]

It's the English Champions V the European Champions in this season's Champions' League. Chelsea and Liverpool have been drawn together in the same group of 4, where everyone plays each other twice. Last season, Liverpool and Chelsea played each other in the competition semi-final (the last 4). For other British teams, Scottish Champions Glasgow Rangers are in the same group as Artmedia Bratislavia - the team that beat Glasgow Celtic in the qualifiers. Chelsea are the favourites to win this season's Champions' League.


Euro re-match for Liverpool, Chelsea
16:22pm 25th August 2005


Holders Liverpool will face Chelsea in the Champions League group stages this season as they look to defend their trophy.

Rafael Benitez's side defeated Chelsea in the semi-final last season - with a controversial goal from Luis Garcia the only goal of the tie - before beating AC Milan in the final.

Television replays could not prove if Luis Garcia's goal at Anfield crossed the line, but the goal stood and Liverpool held on for famous win against Jose Mourinho's side.

Tell us your view » Belgian side Anderlecht were also drawn in Group G, while Spanish side Real Betis complete a strong group, with Mourinho and Benitez facing a stern test to reach the knock-out stages.

Manchester United will face former striker Diego Forlan in Champions League Group D.

Forlan endured a wretched spell at Old Trafford but has kick-started his career at Villarreal, who beat Everton in a qualifier on Wednesday.

United and Villarreal will also face French side Lille and Portuguese side Benfica.

Arsenal, meanwhile, will face Dutch giants Ajax in Group B, along with Sparta Prague of the Czech Republic and Swiss side Thun.

Artmedia Bratislava, who humbled Celtic in a qualifier, have another chance against Scottish opposition when they face Rangers in Group H.

Both sides, however, will find it tough to get out of a group which also includes 2004 winners Porto, and Inter Milan.

[GreatBriton]

Champions League Draw

GROUP A
Bayern Munich
Juventus
Club Brugge
Rapid Vienna

GROUP B
Arsenal
Ajax
Sparta Prague
Thun

GROUP C
Barcelona
Panathinaikos
Werder Bremen
Udinese

GROUP D
MaN Utd
Villarreal
Lille
Benfica

GROUP E
AC Milan
PSV Eindhoven
Schalke
Fenerbahce

GROUP F
Real Madrid
Lyon
Olympiakos
Rosenborg

GROUP G
Liverpool
Chelsea
Anderlecht
Real Betis

GROUP H
Inter Milan
Porto
Rangers
Artmedia Bratislava

[Toro]

It's going to be great eliminating Chelsea from the Champions League for the second time in a year!


YNWA!

[xerxes]

WE'll see how lucky Liverpool can get two years in a row.

[Toro]

Oh, a Buccaneers fan!

Here's a web site for you

http://spaces.msn.com/members/Mancheste ... Space.aspx

Looks like the Bucs got yet another easy pass into the round of 16. That's okay. Don't need to worry about the Bucs much beyond that as I'm sure they'll all oblige us with their customary meek Spring surrender.

And remember Bucs fans, that's 5!

Count 'em, Bucs fans.

1-2-3-4-5!


YNWA!

[xerxes]

Manchester Buccaneers, that's a good one. Funny, yet true.

i loved watching the REds overcome the odds as much as the next man, i'm just saying they were bloody lucky.

[Toro]

xerxes wrote:

Manchester Buccaneers, that's a good one. Funny, yet true.

i loved watching the REds overcome the odds as much as the next man, i'm just saying they were bloody lucky.

Luck, my heinie! We're the best team in Europe!

[xerxes]

That last minute stop Dudek made against Shevchenko was a once in a million stop. That was the luck part. The rest was skill.

[Toro]

Damn this is funny

[DerbyX]

xerxes wrote:

WE'll see how lucky Liverpool can get two years in a row.

Lucky? You call the comeback of the century lucky?

[Toro]

DerbyX wrote:

xerxes wrote:

WE'll see how lucky Liverpool can get two years in a row.

Lucky? You call the comeback of the century lucky?

Hey, look at the avatar. I'm sure xerxes is a nice guy, but its a well known fact that all Manchester Buccaneers fans live in envy of the great, great club on Merseyside.

[DerbyX]

It's OK. We are all united in our hate for Arsenal!

[xerxes]

DerbyX wrote:

It's OK. We are all united in our hate for Arsenal!

Could not agree with you more. One of my friends is a huge Arsenal fan and I just loved rubbing it in his face how the Red Devils swept them away both times last season.

[Toro]

Hey I like Arsenal. If it comes down to the Bucs, Chelski and the Arse, I always root for the Arse. They've been the most entertaining football club in England for the past five years.

[Hester]

Being a Gunner, I've always cheered for Arsenal. But it'll be a while before anyone in the EPL challenges Chelsea. Not Arsenal, certainly not ManU. These three teams have made the EPL a bit of a bore as it is. Arsenal and Chelsea both choke on the European stage (every team from London has.) Liverpool's comeback in May (while I was on the West Coast Trail ) was beyond spectacular. I'm glad they were let back in the Champion's League, but I don't expect a repeat. The League and FA Cup's remain interesting, other than that it is wait and see if Arsenal's 49 game unbeaten will stand. Is Chelsea at around 30 now?