Champions League: Tottenham meet holders Real Madrid in group stage
Last updated on .From the section Football
Tottenham will face holders Real Madrid in the Champions League group stages.
Spurs were drawn in Group H alongside the Spanish giants, German side Borussia Dortmund and Apoel of Cyprus.
The draw pits the Premier League runners-up against Wales winger Gareth Bale, who left Spurs for Real in 2013.
Spurs start at Wembley against Dortmund, before travelling to Cyprus and Spain. They then host Real and visit Germany before ending the group stage of the competition against Apoel.
Scottish champions Celtic face a tough test in a group with Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain and Anderlecht.
Brendan Rodgers' side host PSG, then travel to Belgium, before a double header with Bayern. They then go to Paris before hosting Anderlecht in Group B.
Premier League champions Chelsea have been drawn to play Atletico Madrid, Roma and Qarabag in Group C - starting their campaign at home against the Azerbaijan champions.
And Europa League winners Manchester United face Benfica, Basel and CSKA Moscow in Group A, with their first match at home against the Swiss.
Manchester City, who finished third in the Premier League last season, are up against Shakhtar Donetsk, Napoli and Feyenoord in Group F - starting against the Dutch champions.
While Liverpool, who beat Hoffenheim in a play-off to secure their place in the draw in Monaco, will meet Spartak Moscow, Sevilla and Maribor in Group E, with the Spanish side visiting Anfield first.
The group stages begin on 12-13 September.
Five English clubs are contesting the group stage of a Champions League campaign for the first time.
The last time six British teams qualified for the group stages was in 2007-08, when English sides Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal were joined by Scottish clubs Celtic and Rangers. The final saw Sir Alex Ferguson's United beat Avram Grant's Chelsea on penalties.
- Football Daily podcast: 'Tough draw takes pressure off Spurs'
- Full group stage fixtures
- Noise and glamour await Celtic
Groups at a glance
Group A: Benfica, Manchester United, Basel, CSKA Moscow
Group B: Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain, Anderlecht, Celtic
Group C: Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Roma, Qarabag
Group D: Juventus, Barcelona, Olympiakos, Sporting
Group E: Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, Liverpool, Maribor
Group F: Shakhtar Donetsk, Manchester City, Napoli, Feyenoord
Group G: Monaco, Porto, Besiktas, RB Leipzig
Group H: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham, Apoel
When are the group stage match days?
Match day one: 12-13 September
Match day two: 26-27 September
Match day three: 17-18 October
Match day four: 31 October-1 November
Match day five: 21-22 November
Match day six: 5-6 December
Comments
Join the conversation
Playing teams like Real and Dortmund is what the CL should be all about!!
Liverpool should qualify but face a battle with Sevilla for top spot
Not an easy group for City but should come top
Chelsea with a tough group but should qualify, maybe 2nd
Enjoy europa league Spurs
As a United fan, I'm jealous you're playing some of Europes best this early on; Wembley and Parkhead will be absolutely buzzing for the likes of PSG, Bayern, Real & Dortmund coming to town.
Games against Basel & CSKA Moscow have nowhere near the same kind of glamour and glitz.
No such thing as an easy group,but bye bye Celtic thanks for coming.
----------------
I love that people are so upset that Celtic qualified. Especially from glory hunters that support billionaire-owned clubs which somehow gives them some kind of superiority complex.
Maybe Real is the gltiz part of the group stages but above and beyond this is beating BD home and away.
I wish Spurs all the best, they have a great squad in what could be a tough season playing at Wembley.
Spurs vs Real at Wembley will be something! Bale against his old club
Few tough games for Celtic. You'd expect them to battle for 3rd but they've had good results against big teams before so...