Victor Osimhen’s Napoli were drawn with Spanish giants Real Madrid in Group C during the UEFA Champions League draw held in Monaco on Thursday.
The fixture is one of the most eye-catching for the 2023-24 group stage with the Partenopei looking to go better than the quarter-finals last term where they lost to fellow Italian side AC Milan. Osimhen found the back of the net five times on six occasions in Europe’s premier club football competition last season and will also be looking to increase that tally this season.
Group C
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Real Madrid ????????
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Union Berlin ????????#UCLDraw #AfrosportTV https://t.co/fCh05zUmzS— AfroSport (@AfroSportTV) August 31, 2023
Los Blancos meanwhile crashed out in the semi-finals to eventual champions Manchester City and will look to add a record-extending 15th title to their trophy cabinet. The other Group C constants are Braga and Union Berlin.
In Group A, Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana will be manning the post as Manchester United were paired with Bayern Munich, FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray. One African that will be experiencing the Champions League for the very first time will be Ivory Coast winger Wilfried Zaha who completed a move to Galatasaray from Crystal Palace as a free agent.
Arsenal’s return to the Champions League after a seven-year absence sees them paired in Group B alongside reigning Europa League champions Sevilla, PSV Eindhoven and RC Lens.
Group D
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Inter Milan ????????
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Real Sociedad ????????#UCLDraw #AfrosportTV https://t.co/4NhcXIkKiz— AfroSport (@AfroSportTV) August 31, 2023
Group D comprises of Benfica, Inter Milan, FC Salzburg and Real Sociedad. It will see Nigeria forward Umar Sadiq make his bow in the Champions League in the colours of Sociedad. Group E meanwhile is made up of Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid, Lazio and Celtic.
Group F is considered the ‘Group of Death’ as it contains Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Newcastle United, the latter making their first appearance in 20 years.
Group F
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Borussia Dortmund ????????
AC Milan ????????#UCLDraw #AfrosportTV https://t.co/P3CM9dHI2k— AfroSport (@AfroSportTV) August 31, 2023
Group G houses defending champions Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Crvena Zvezda and Young Boys while Group H contains Barcelona, FC Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Royal Antwerp.
The 2023-24 Champions League group stage will commence on September 19 after the conclusion of the two-week international break.
