Bayern, City and CSKA meet again

Group E: FC Bayern München, Manchester City FC, PFC CSKA Moskva, AS Roma

• Group E contains three domestic champions – Roma, Serie A runners-up, are the exception.

• Bayern, Manchester City and CSKA Moskva were all in the same group 12 months ago. While the Russian club lost all four games against those opponents, Bayern won in Manchester before going down at home to their English rivals.

• Bayern and City faced each other both last season and in 2011/12. In either campaign Bayern won the first meeting before losing the second on matchday six.

• City's 3-2 triumph in Munich last term – having been 2-0 behind – ended Bayern's run of ten successive UEFA Champions League victories, a competition record.

• Rudi Garcia took four points off CSKA as LOSC Lille coach in the 2011/12 group stage, but CSKA progressed.

• Roma swapped home successes with Bayern in the 2010/11 group stage, the Italian side's most recent UEFA Champions League appearance.

• Mehdi Benatia will make a quick return to Roma after this week's move to Bayern.

Reaction
Matthias Sammer, Bayern technical director
Usually you have one or perhaps two easy opponents in a group, but that's not the case for us here. This group is highly attractive and very difficult but it is also the right challenge for us. We have to be at our best immediately, which will be good for us. 

Philipp Lahm, Bayern captain
It's not an easy group, we have drawn three very good teams. One of them is Manchester City, the English champions. The away matches especially will be tough tasks, but we have to do well in those.

Mehdi Benatia, Bayern defender
I was really hoping we would draw Roma and I can go back to see my friends again.

Thomas Müller, Bayern midfielder
We know most of our opponents from last year and it's going to be a challenging group. Roma in pot four are surely in a different class to Viktoria Plzeň last year. It's not going to be a walk in the park, but we're optimistic about getting through.

Txiki Begiristain, Man. City director of football
Last season Bayern Munich were first, we were second and we also played CSKA Moscow, but the fourth one [now is] very tough – a very strong team in Roma. All the clubs try to play good football, Roma have done very well and we are familiar with Bayern Munich. It will be an amazing group.

Rudi Garcia, Roma coach 
We knew that we were in the fourth pot and that we were going to face two great teams at least. In this case we got two of the best teams of the moment and in the history of football. We are going to face the champions of Germany and England.

It's a beautiful draw, I like it. We will be underdogs and we cannot forget that CSKA are also very strong and start their season much earlier than other European teams. We respect all our opponents but I don't see why we should fear them.

Leonid Slutski, CSKA coach
Some people dream about flying into space for their whole life while we fly there on a regular basis. Speaking seriously, we have been drawn in a very tough group and we will find out if the difference between the Russian champions and the best teams in England and Germany has increased.

I don't think the experience of our recent meetings with Bayern and Manchester City will help us a lot. We knew their qualities last season too. As for Roma, they're even stronger this season.