United drawn with Celtic in British battle
Holders Manchester United will lock horns with Celtic in another Battle of Britain as the Champions League season began with a fascinating group stage draw in Monaco.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, who edged out Chelsea to take the trophy last season, will meet the Scottish champions for the second time in three seasons in Group E and are joined by Spanish side Villarreal and Danish club Aalborg.
The tie promises to be as hard fought as their last meeting in 2006/07 when Celtic won the home leg 1-0 only for United to edge the return leg 3-2 at Old Trafford to progress to the knockout stages.
But Ferguson admits he is still unsure as to whether Dimitar Berbatov will be available to don the red shirt in this campaign, admitting he is “less optimistic” about whether the unsettled Tottenham striker will be added to his squad this summer.
“I’m less optimistic so we’ll carry on,” he said. “I’ve no idea what’s going on. It’s very hard to get communication with some people in life.”
Elsewhere, Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has been pitted against former club Atletico Madrid in a tough Group D, which also includes Marseille and PSV Eindhoven.
Arsenal face two tricky away fixtures against Fenerbahce and Dynamo Kiev in Group G, which also includes FC Porto, although last year’s runners-up Chelsea will be confident of progressing against Roma, Bordeaux and Romanians CFR Cluj.