The draw for the group stage of the 2022-2023 Champions League took place this Thursday, August 25 in Istanbul. The two French clubs involved in the competition now know who their opponents will be.
The 68th Champions League began this Thursday, August 25 in Istanbul with the draw for the group stage. It will end on June 10, still in Istanbul, in the Atatürk stadium. This Thursday evening, fans of Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille, the two French clubs involved in the competition, were impatiently awaiting their opponents for the group stage. Thirty-two teams first dream of reaching the knockout stage.
A first coronation in C1 for Paris?
Conquering the Champions League is an additional challenge this season: the ultra-tight schedule due to the World Cup being held in the fall in Qatar (November 20-December 18) will constrain the contenders for the succession of Real Madrid to chain the cleaver matches from the beginning of September to the beginning of November.
PSG, which has decreed the end of the “bling-bling” and has chosen a coach with clear ideas, although without much experience in the Champions League, the Frenchman Christophe Galtier, will have to face Juventus Turin, Benfica and Maccabi Haifa in Group H.
His offensive trio “MNM” is already sparking. With a Mbappé extended until 2025, an invigorated Neymar and a finally acclimatized Lionel Messi, the Parisian club openly dreams of a first coronation in C1. Poured into hat 1, that of the seeds, PSG, for its eleventh consecutive participation, already knew that it would avoid Manchester City, Bayern Munich and AC Milan, as well as Real, reigning European champion , his executioner last year in the round of 16 (1-0, 1-3).
For Marseille, the draw promised to be difficult, since the Phocaeans have integrated hat 4, that of the clubs with the most modest European indices. With a trainer, Igor Tudor, a novice in this event, and a largely overhauled workforce, Marseille therefore inherits a seed: Frankfurt. The Marseillais will also have to cross swords with Tottenham and Sporting in group D.
The top two from each pool qualify for the round of 16.