Barca and Inter held in one group

Barca and Inter held in one group

Holders Barcelona must face Inter Milan in the group stages of the Champions League.

As well as Inter, bossed by Jose Mourinho who was a member of the Barcelona coaching staff early on in his career, Barcelona will also play Dynamo Kiev and Rubin Kazan in Group F.

Barca and Inter were involved in one of the summer's biggest transfers when Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic moved to the Nou Camp and Samuel Eto'o moved in the opposite direction in a part-exchange deal.

AC Milan were drawn against nine-times winners Real Madrid, Marseille and FC Zurich in Group C.

The clashes between Milan and Madrid will be among the most anticipated in the group stages, and will see the Spanish side showcase their star-studded line-up, among them Cristiano Ronaldo and former Rossoneri attacker Kaka, the Brazilian who made the move to the Bernabeu during the close-season.

Bayern Munich were joined by Juventus, Bordeaux and Maccabi Haifa in Group A.

Manchester United, last year's losing finalists, were drawn to play CSKA Moscow, Besiktas and Wolfsburg in Group B at the draw in Monaco.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson told ManUtd.com: "These are difficult ties, especially the trips to Russia and Turkey.

"CSKA have developed strongly in the last few years, and games in Turkey are always difficult.

"We also know the quality that we're up against with Wolfsburg, with what they achieved in the Bundesliga last season."

Chelsea, beaten in the semi-finals last year by Barcelona, were grouped with Porto, Atletico Madrid and Apoel Nicosia in Group D.

Liverpool face Lyon, Fiorentina and Debreceni in Group E and Arsenal tackle AZ Alkmaar, Olympiacos and Standard Liege in Group H.

Sevilla, Stuttgart, Rangers and Romanian champions Unirea Urziceni featured in Group G.

Real Madrid sporting director Miguel Pardeza welcomed his club's draw.

He said: "It's clear that this competition means a lot to Madrid and the fans, and this year there is a special incentive because the final is at our stadium.

"We are going to face the competition with the highest hopes and with highest demands.

"The two matches against Milan are the standout games of this first phase. They are one of the greats of European football, a team of the highest level against who we will face two intense games."

With regards to Marseille, he added: "They are an emerging team who have returned to the elite after several years of dominance by Lyon. It will be a very attractive duel, especially because of the presence of two ex-Real Madrid players in Fernando Morientes and (Gabriel) Heinze.

"Marseille are a powerful opponent from one of the strongest leagues in Europe, so we have to be careful."

On Madrid's other opponents FC Zurich, Pardeza said: "Zurich are the least known team, but they also present a danger. I'm sure that they are going to have a lot of enthusiasm, especially when they visit our stadium. We cannot underestimate our opponents."

Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness knows the German giants will have their work cut out, but insists reaching the knock-out stages is the minimum target.

While Juventus are likely to be their main rivals, Hoeness said: "We have some really tough opponents.

"But the important thing is to get into the next round to move closer to our dream of one day reaching the final again.

"There is no team which cannot beat any other."

Bayern will begin with a trip to Israel on September 15 before hosting Juventus at the end of the month.

A double-header with Bordeaux is followed by a home game with Haifa before perhaps the decisive group fixture in Turin on December 8.

"That is not an easy group," commented captain Mark van Bommel on Bayern's website.

"Anybody can beat anybody else."