UEFA Champions League holders Manchester United FC will begin the defence of their trophy in Group E against Spain's Villarreal CF, British rivals Celtic FC and Aalborg BK from Denmark.
Coach José Mourinho said he and his FC Internazionale Milano side were "confident in our strength" after being drawn in Group B along with Werder Bremen, Panathinaikos FC and Cypriot outsiders Anorthosis Famagusta FC.
Chelsea FC captain John Terry was pleased his club missed a "few big teams" but knows a Group A containing AS Roma, FC Girondins de Bordeaux and CFR 1907 Cluj will not be straightforward.
Joan Laporta believes FC Barcelona will rise to the challenge after the 2006 winners were pitted against Sporting Clube de Portugal, FC Basel 1893 and FC Shakhtar Donetsk in Group C.
Club Atlético de Madrid being pooled in Group D represented an unpleasant surprise for Liverpool FC, PSV Eindhoven and Olympique de Marseille following the UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Monaco.
Sir Alex Ferguson was satisfied after titleholders Manchester United FC were drawn with familiar faces Celtic FC and Villarreal CF as well as an unknown quantity in Aalborg BK.
Long journeys to Turkey and Ukraine face Arsenal FC following the UEFA Champions League draw in Monaco, as the English side were pooled alongside FC Porto, Fenerbahçe SK and FC Dynamo Kyiv in Group G.
FC Bayern München, Olympique Lyonnais, FC Steaua Bucureşti and ACF Fiorentina have been drawn in a very competitive Group F as all four coaches were quick to point out.
Real Madrid CF and Juventus are pondering tricky trips east after the draw for the UEFA Champions League set them up to face UEFA Cup holders FC Zenit St. Petersburg and rank outsiders FC BATE Borisov in Group H.
AS Roma have announced the acquisition of the 21-year-old French forward Jérémy Menez from AS Monaco FC in a transfer that could eventually be worth €12m.
08/28/2008 04:51 PM
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