Champions League

KARIM BENZEMA and Carlo Ancelotti were honoured for their historic campaigns with Real Madrid last season.The pair scooped UEFA’s Player and Manager of the Year trophies at the governing body’s awards ceremony in Istanbul on Thursday.
Karim Benzema bagged a whopping 15 Champions League goals last seasonCredit: Getty
Carlo Ancelotti picked up his fourth Champions League trophy as a manager last seasonCredit: GETTY
The pair scooped additional gongs for their exploitsCredit: EPA
France international Benzema won the prestigious gong for his scintillating 2021/22 campaign, in which he scored 15 goals in Europe’s elite club competition.
The Frenchman’s outstanding tally helped fire Real to their 14th European Cup and made Ancelotti the most successful manager in the tournament’s history.
Real’s victory over Premier League big boys Liverpool in May handed the Italian his fourth Champions League trophy, two of which he won with AC Milan.
After accepting the award, Ancelotti, 63, said: “The passion I have for the sport and the quality of the players.
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“Last season there was a fantastic connection between the veterans and young ones, there was fantastic chemistry with the supporters that helped us reach an unbelievable achievement.”
Ancelotti was quick to hail the man who made him the most successful manager in Champions League history.
He said: “Karim is not just a fantastic striker and top scorer.
“He’s a fantastic footballer, supported by a great attitude day by day.
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“Compared to last year, this year he improved his knowledge, he knows the game really well, how to manage the game and he’s a strong leader in the dressing room and a good friend of mine.
“We are lucky to have Karim.”
Benzema and Ancelotti scooped their awards not long after Real learned their fate for the group stages of this year’s Champions League.
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Los Blancos were drawn in Group F with RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic.
The Spanish giants will kick off their defence of the trophy on September 6th or 7th.
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FOOTY fans are all saying the same thing after jokingly claiming Yaya Toure “fixed” the Champions League group stage draw in Tottenham’s favour.The iconic former Premier League midfielder, 39, was on hand to dish out the balls at Thursday’s Uefa event in Istanbul.
Fans jokingly reckon Yaya Toure fixed the Champions League group draw in Spurs’ favourCredit: Reuters
Tottenahm got a favourable group in Thursday’s draw
The former Barcelona and Man City star is now a youth coach with Antonio Conte’s Spurs.
And the Londoners ended up with arguably the best group of the lot, drawing Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting Lisbon and Marseille.
Meanwhile, rivals Chelsea were paired with Italian champions AC Milan.
Man City got Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund, while Liverpool were given Napoli and Ajax – as well as a Battle of Britain against Rangers.
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This prompted footy fans to flood Twitter with hilarious claims that Toure somehow wiggled the draw in Spurs’ favour – with even Tottenham fans revelling in their group.
One said: “Yaya Toure staff employee of Tottenham drawing us the easiest possible group for Harry Kane to win his first Champions League trophy.”
Another declared: “Yaya Toure already a Tottenham legend in my book.”
One joked: “Didn’t Tottenham’s Yaya Toure do a superb job?”
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The full Champions League group stage draw

Another boomed: “Toure just rigged the UCL in front of the entire world. A Europa League group in the UCL.”
One added: “Tottenham with Frankfurt, so so lucky. Yaya rigging the draw.”
Toure certainly didn’t hold back from declaring his support for Tottenham before making the draw.
Speaking on stage, the three-time Premier League winner said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Tottenham. 
“They are fantastic at the club. I feel like I belong in a family. 
“It is immense what they have done for me.” More

RANGERS have been handed a brutal return to the Champions League – including a mouth-watering Battle of Britain.Gers are back in amongst the European heavyweights for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

Rangers saw off PSV last night to book their place in the Champions League group stagesCredit: PA
They secured their place in the group stages by edging past PSV Eindhoven last night in the play-off round.
And their reward sees them take on six-time winners Liverpool and Dutch champions Ajax in the group stages.
Rangers, who were in Pot 4 alongside Scottish champs Celtic, will also play Napoli in Group A.
Due to the World Cup in November, the six matches are crammed into three blocks of back-to-back gameweeks.
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Those will be played on September 6/7 and 13/14, October 4/5 and 11/12 then October 25/26 and November 1/2.
The final is on June 10 in Istanbul.
Back in 2010, Rangers finished third in the group behind Manchester United and Valencia, slipping into the Europa League.
There, they beat Sporting Lisbon on away goals before falling to PSV.
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After finishing second in the league last term, they saw off Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise and then their Dutch rivals to qualify.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s came within a penalty shootout of being in Pot 1 – but lost the Europa League final in May to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Over the summer, he has added the likes of Ben Davies, Tom Lawrence, Antonio Colak and Ridvan Yilmaz to his squad to mount a challenge domestically and on the continent.
Rangers will have to try and keep Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez quietCredit: Alamy More

CHELSEA will take on seven-time champions AC Milan in a blockbuster Champions League showdown.But it is a routine Group E for Thomas Tuchel’s side who also face Red Bull Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb.

Chelsea have discovered their Champions League group-stage opponentsCredit: EPA
The Blues reached the quarter-finals as defending champions last season.
However, despite a stunning comeback against Real Madrid, they were undone by the eventual champions in extra-time at the Bernabeu.
Now Olivier Giroud and Fikayo Tomori will return to Stamford Bridge as Serie A champions in Chelsea’s toughest home game of the group.
Elsewhere, Liverpool got an interesting draw with Ajax, Napoli and Rangers.
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Tottenham will play Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting Lisbon and Marseille in a brutal group.
And Premier League champs Manchester City got Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund and Copenhagen.
Due to the World Cup in November, the six matches are crammed into three blocks of back-to-back gameweeks.
Those will be played on September 6/7 and 13/14, October 4/5 and 11/12 then October 25/26 and November 1/2.

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Chelsea boss Tuchel has let a number of big names go this summer with Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner and Antonio Rudiger all out the exit door.
However, new owner Todd Boehly wasted no time splashing the cash.
Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei have arrived in mega-money deals.
And Tuchel will be hoping his side can replicate their Champions League glory of 2021 by going all the way.
But first, they must get through the group stages – which should be relatively straightforward.
Olivier Giroud and Fikayo Tomori will head back to Stamford BridgeCredit: Reuters
Chelsea were knocked out by Real Madrid last seasonCredit: The Times More

MANCHESTER CITY will be hopeful of reaching the Champions League knockouts after learning their group-stage opponents.Pep Guardiola’s side were pitted against Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund and Copenhagen in Group G with Erling Haaland to return to Signal Iduna Park.

Manchester City now know their Champions League group-stage opponentsCredit: Getty
Due to the World Cup in November, the six matches are crammed into three blocks of back-to-back gameweeks.
Those will be played on September 6/7 and 13/14, October 4/5 and 11/12 then October 25/26 and November 1/2.
The Citizens reached the final on 2021 but lost to Chelsea in a nervy final in Portugal.
Last season, they looked destined to face Liverpool in the final.
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However, their spectacular collapse in injury time at the Bernabeu saw Real Madrid force extra-time in their semi-final – before Karim Benzema sent Los Blancos through.
Since then, City have brought in Real Madrid target Erling Haaland as their new No9 plus Julian Alvarez and Kalvin Phillips.
However, they sold Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal while Raheem Sterling joined Chelsea for a combined £122.5million.
European glory still beckons for City, who have enjoyed domestic dominance in recent seasons under Guardiola.
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But he, the players, the fans and the owners will desperately be hoping this season is the year they finally go all the way.
And with the group they have been pitted in, they will be hoping of reaching the last-16. More

LIVERPOOL avoided the big-hitters but must face Rangers in a huge Battle of Britain in their Champions League group stage.And Group A is completed by Ajax and Napoli as Jurgen Klopp’s men aim to go one better than last season.

Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez will hope to rack up the goals in the Champions LeagueCredit: Alamy
Liverpool were drawn from Pot 2 and knew they could face a repeat of their heartbreaking final against Real Madrid in the groups.
However, the Reds will go up against the Dutch champions instead as well as tough Serie A side and Gers, who edged out PSV to qualify.
Elsewhere, Chelsea got an easy draw with AC Milan, Red Bull Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb.
Tottenham will play Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting Lisbon and Marseille in a brutal group.
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And Premier League champs Manchester City got Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund and Copenhagen.
Due to the World Cup in November, the six matches are crammed into three blocks of back-to-back gameweeks.
Those will be played on September 6/7 and 13/14, October 4/5 and 11/12 then October 25/26 and November 1/2.
The final is on June 10 in Istanbul.
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Liverpool are six-time winners of the European Cup, most recently beating Tottenham in Madrid in the 2019 final.
They came within 90 minutes of a seventh crown in May before falling to Vinicius Junior’s strike in a chaos-affected trip to Paris.
This season, they boast the added power of striker Darwin Nunez who signed for a club-record £84million – Fabio Carvalho has also joined.
However, Klopp’s side have endured a rough start to the season with two draws and a defeat at crisis-club Manchester United to kick-off their Premier League campaign.
The departure of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich is being felt while Champions League hero Divock Origi is now on the books at AC Milan.
Rangers qualified by beating PSV Eindhoven in the play-offCredit: Getty More