Manchester United will play Valencia, Rangers and Bursaspor in the Champions League Group C after the draw held at the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco today. The draw means Sir Alex Ferguson will return to Glasgow where he played 41 league games scoring 25 goals. United last faced Rangers in the 2002-3 season, winning home and away.
The draw, hosted by former Miss Switzerland Melanie Winiger and Pedro Pinto, former sports anchor for CNN International, with UEFA general-secretary Gianni Infantino and Competitions Director Giorgio Marchetti, precedes tomorrow nights European Super Cup at Stade Louis II between Atletico Madrid and Internazionale.
United beat Rangers 1-0 at Ibrox and 3-0 at Old Trafford seven years ago, and the draw will bring Ferguson head-to-head with former assistant manager Walter Smith, in his final season as Rangers’ boss. The Scottish club, in financial difficulties, will simply be grateful to take part with an estimated £15 million heading the club’s way in appearance money and gate receipts for reaching the group stage.
“It’s going to be interesting, I think its a good draw for us,” said Glazer stooge and United ceo David Gill, rather blandly.
“Obviously the Rangers connection is there. We played them in 2003/4 and Sir Alex and Walter Smith go back a very long way. It’ll be a great atmosphere and a great occasion. I’ve already spoke to Alex and he’s looking forward to it.
“Nobody is thinking about [reaching the Wembley final] at this stage. As we know, no team has retained the title in its current format, which demonstrates how competitive it is. It’s a great competition.”
The Reds also face a tough double-header with Valencia, who came third in last season’s La Liga but lost two key players in David Silva and David Villa over the summer amid financial problems at the Mestalla. Los Che is about £500 million in debt, with a new 75,000 seater stadium planned but not yet built on the Costa del Azahar. Indeed, the club faces a battle for its very survival.
Out of pot 4 came Turkish champions Bursaspor, with the usual ‘welcome to hell’ clichés that a trip to Turkey entails these days. Bursaspor won Süper Lig for the first time last season, having only been founded in 1963. United will hardly relish the lengthy trip to Anatolia despite the victory over Beşiktaş in last season’s competition.
Ferguson though is content with the draw, which includes just one long away trip and six winnable fixtures. United lost five matches in the Premier League after European away trips last season, including both matches against champions Chelsea.
“You can’t complain about that, it’s a good draw for us. You always look at the travelling side of it and the only one that’s of any great distance is the trip to Turkey,” the United manager told ManUtd.com.
“Walter Smith’s already been on the phone, talking about tickets for Old Trafford! Like me, he’s really looking forward to our games against each other.”
United open with a Rangers at home on 14 September and close the campaign with another Old Trafford game, against Valencia on 7 December. Sir Alex will delight that United’s upcoming fixtures against Liverpool and Arsenal each follow home European matches.
The group stages, once again played over 12 nights, will take place on 14/15 September, 28/29 September, 19/20 October, 2/3 November, 23/24 November, 7/8 December.. The ten winners in the play-off round ties join 22 automatic entrants in the 32-team group stage. The clubs are split into eight groups of four teams, with two teams from each section advancing to the first knockout round.
The round of 16 takes place between 13 February to 16 March 2011, quarter-finals 5-13 April, and semis 26 April to 4 May. The final is at Wembley on 28 May 2011.
Extra officials will be used in the Champions League this year, following an experiment in the Europa League last season. A fifth and sixth “additional assistant referee” will stand behind each goal line as UEFA joins FIFA in resisting the march of technology in football.
UNITED’S FIXTURES
Tuesday 14 September, Glasgow Rangers (H)
Wednesday 29 September, Valencia (A)
Wednesday 20 October, Bursaspor (H)
Tuesday 2 November, Bursaspor (A)
Wednesday 24 November, Glasgow Rangers (A)
Tuesday 7 December, Valencia (H)
FULL DRAW
Group A
Internazionale
Werder Bremen
Tottenham Hotspur
FC Twente
Group B
Olympique Lyonnais
Benfica
Schalke 04
Hapoel Tel Aviv
Group C
MANCHESTER UNITED
Valencia
Glasgow Rangers
Bursaspor
Group D
Barcelona
Panathinaikos
F.C. København
Rubin Kazan
Group E
Bayern Munich
Roma
Basel
CFR Cluj
Group F
Chelsea
Olympique de Marseille
Spartak Moskva
MŠK Žilina
Group G
AC Milan
Real Madrid
Ajax
Auxerre
Group H
Arsenal
Shakhtar Donetsk
Braga
FK Partizan
Fixture dates crucial. Update em asap. Will be intresting to note what games come after European trips. Good to see Chelsea having to travel to Russia and Slovakia. Good draw all in all.
Good draw. Valencia, Rangers & Bursaspor, we should win atleast 4 games and finish top of our group. not shocked Chelski got a easy group, Arsenal being rubbish will struggle and its already a safe bet that Tottenham are going out. group g of group Galactico as I will call it is going to be good to watch with AC, R.Madrid, Ajax and Auxerre facing each other. The Battle of Britain will be good and I know we will beat Rangers both times, Valencia will be interesting but the games vs Bursaspor will be big.
*** meant recall, not will call. got caught in to places there, but the groups are all good and I believe we can go all the way to Wembley and win the Champions League for a 4th time, aswell a 19th League title to do another European Double.
“we should win atleast 4 games and finish top of our group. “
If you’d said that 10years ago, agreed!
But nowadays?
*update*
Tuesday 14 September, Glasgow Rangers (H)
Wednesday 29 September, Valencia (A)
Wednesday 20 October, Bursaspor (H)
Tuesday 2 November, Bursaspor (A)
Wednesday 24 November, Glasgow Rangers (A)
Tuesday 7 December, Valencia (H)
arsenal aren’t rubbish, they’re better than us
Lets wait and see what we do, if I remember the last time we had a supposedly easy group we went out at the group stages.
Especially if they sort out their defense.
NO Arsenal are not better than us, they aren’t even close to us in any way, shape or form. Arsenal are a weak boring rubbish football squad whiles we are a brilliant attacking powerhouse who plays beautiful football with end results and can crush anyone when we play at our best. and another thing, if Arsenal are better than why have we beat them so easily several times in recent memory, your suppose to be Manchester United supporters so support ManUtd.
robbo, I remember that but it wont happen again
You type very well for a retard wearing mittens… have they increased the saltpeter in your custard again?
Seriously Aj, stop sniffing glue.
‘stop sniffing glue’ TNG, not bad but I dont sniff glue or touch drugs and dont get me started on that piss that people call alcohol, never touched it and never will. alfonso, yea yea yea so clever, I disagree so you insult me, change the record feller as this is a free country and under the rights of free speech I can say what ever I want and that includes the rights to disagree.
TNG, what the fuck, thinking of something completely of topic. so for the wrong name the TGR. but still you shot was a interesting choice.
oh bloody hell I gotta wake up and regain my focus. it should be SORRY for the wrong name THERE TGR. but we are better than Arsenal in everyway and I believe we will win the Premièr and Champions lge this year.
Sorry AJ but you’ve told me the best ever Bedtime Story, thank you
As you yourself said when we play to our strengths and and play our best we are a match for any team but and that’s the clincher we no longer play our best football. A brilliant attacking powerhouse playing beautiful football we once were but no longer.
Don´t speak to soon.
It isn’t going to happen face up to it league I couldn’t say but don’t think so, but the Champions league if we reach the Quarter finals we’ve done well.
I don’t fancy United trips to Turkey and I’d like to avoid Bursaspor, but But it’s always interesting to see United face an opponent that they never faced before.
Valencia are weakened with the departures of Silva and Villa. 4 points at least. Valencia vs Valencia will be interesting.
No surprise to see Rangers in our group. Just another Scottish in our way. Celtic in 06/07 and 08/09. Rangers in 03/04 and now. Who will be next? Hearts? Hibernian?
Late septenber will be tough. Three away games in a row. Bolton, Valencia and Sunderland.
Go to see no LFC! Diego!
Early thoughts on the draw:
– Group G: Group of Death
– Nice of UEFA to give Man Utd an easy group while Rooney nurses his injured tw*t.
– Arsenal and Barcelona are competing for who will travel more during the group stages.
– Schalke (rumored to be Hitler’s favorite team) is visiting Hapoel Tel Aviv. Awkward Award.
– Tottenham should remember that big clubs progress through the group stages into the KO rounds.
why is Gill even commenting on this?
Perhaps he was asked about it.