Barça and Chelsea together again

The holders FC Barcelona were paired with Chelsea FC in today's draw for the group stage of the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League. Barça were among 13 former European Champion Clubs' Cup winners and two newcomers to be divided into eight four-team groups at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

Familar faces
The champions of Spain and England will meet for the third successive season after being placed in Group A, with each team triumphing once. Another highlight will see British sides Manchester United FC and Celtic FC, both former winners, go head to head in Group F. The teams have never met in UEFA club competition, and it will also be the first encounters for AC Milan-LOSC Lille Métropole, Arsenal FC-FC Porto and Liverpool FC-PSV Eindhoven. United have also been pitted against SL Benfica, a repeat of the 1967/68 final they won 4-1 - the only such sequel in the draw.

Match dates
During the group stage, each club will play three matches on a Tuesday and three on a Wednesday, starting with the first of six Matchdays on 12/13 September. The remaining dates are: 26/27 September, 17/18 October, 31 October/1 November, 21/22 November and 5/6 December. The group winners and runners-up advance to the knockout stage, with the third-placed side moving into the third round of the UEFA Cup.