At 19:00 Lithuanian time, the draw for the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League group stage took place in Monaco. Yesterday, the final teams to participate in the group stage were determined in the Champions League play-off round. Today, the 32 teams were divided into eight groups (A-H). According to the draw, Group A will see Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Basel, and Ludogorets compete for the top two spots. Group B will feature Benfica, Napoli, Dynamo Kyiv, and Besiktas. Group C promises an exciting lineup with Barcelona facing Manchester City or former players Claudio Bravo and Pep Guardiola. Additionally, Borussia Monchengladbach and Celtic will battle for a spot in the quarterfinals. Group D will see a fierce competition as Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, the semi-finalists from last season, fight for a place in the next stage. They will be challenged by PSV Eindhoven and debutants Rostov from Russia. Group E features CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham, and Monaco in a tough battle. Meanwhile, defending champions Real Madrid will compete in Group F against Borussia Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon, and Legia Warsaw. Group G will have English champions Leicester City facing Porto, Club Brugge, and Copenhagen. In Group H, Juventus will compete against Europa League winners Sevilla, Lyon, and Dinamo Zagreb. The Champions League group stage will kick off on September 13, 2016.
