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Champions League draw, complete results: Manchester City gets Juventus; Bayern to meet Arsenal

Reuters

The guessing game is over.

The 32 teams partaking in the 2015-16 Champions League learned their group stage fate on Thursday in Monaco, as a typically drawn-out UEFA event revealed the eight groups for the opening round of the competition.

Which of the perennial powers get the smoothest path to the knockout stages, and which teams get the short end of the stick, forced to make up the proverbial Group of Death?

Here are the results:

Group A

Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Malmo

Group A will have no shortage of star power, as Spanish juggernauts Real Madrid and French counterparts Paris Saint-Germain lock horns in what should be two breathtaking matches. While Ukrainian power Shakhtar Donetsk will look to pull off a major upset, Swedish club Malmo will almost certainly find itself at the bottom of the section once all is determined.

See our Group A breakdown here ...

Group B

PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Wolfsburg

It could have been a whole lot worse for Manchester United, who returns to the Champions League by drawing arguably the most favourable of the teams from Pot A, PSV. That said, the trip to Russia for a meeting with CSKA Moscow always proves to be a tricky test for any side, while Wolfsburg will fancy its chances of reaching the knockout stages alongside the Red Devils.

See our Group B breakdown here ...

Group C

Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray, Astana

Hear that sound? That's Atletico Madrid doing cartwheels in the hallways of the Vicente Calderon. The Spanish club, Champions League finalists two seasons ago, will go into the group stage as favourites to emerge from this section, with Galatasaray and Benfica battling for the runners-up spot. As for Astana, well, just being here is a great accomplishment in itself.

See our Group C breakdown here ...

Group D

Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Monchengladbach

Oh boy. Easily the most difficult group to be drawn on Thursday, Group D pits a Premier League giant, the defending Serie A champion and the two-time reigning Europa League victors. Borussia Monchengladbach is far from a pushover, as well. This is going to be fascinating. Manchester City and Juventus will likely be favoured from the outset, but in truth, any of the four teams can advance to the knockout round.

See our Group D breakdown here ...

Group E

Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma, BATE Borisov

Barcelona and everyone else. Lionel Messi is still consuming oxygen, which means the defending Champions League winner should easily reach the knockout stages of the competition. The most fascinating matches to come from this group, and perhaps the group stage as a whole, will see Bayer Leverkusen and Roma vie for second place. Can the German club eliminate another side from the Italian capital?

See our Group E breakdown here ...

Group F

Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Olympiacos, Dinamo Zagreb

Bayern Munich and Arsenal will, barring a shock of epic proportions, reach the knockout stages of the tournament. Move along.

See our Group F breakdown here ...

Group G

Chelsea, FC Porto, Dinamo Kiev, Maccabi Tel-Aviv

Jose Mourinho will be enjoying a fine bottle of wine with a smile on his face this evening, following what will go down as the easiest draw for any of the perceived tournament contenders. No disrespect to Porto, who should qualify in second place, but this is - yet again for the Blues - a simple group to manoeuvre.

See our Group G breakdown here ...

Group H

Zenit St. Petersburg, Valencia, Lyon, Gent

Things could have been significantly worse for Lyon, coming out of Pot 3, but the French club will be more than pleased with the way the balls were pulled from their respective glass containers on Thursday in Monaco. The battle between the Ligue 1 outfit, Zenit and Valencia, though perhaps lacking in star power, will be intriguing.

See our Group H breakdown here ...

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