Women’s Champions League holder Barcelona was placed in a pool with four-time winner Eintracht Frankfurt while English champion Chelsea were matched with Real Madrid in the group-stage draw on Friday.
In Group A, Barcelona was also drawn with Benfica and Rosengard, two teams it faced at the same stage last season. Barcelona won all four games, beating Benfica by an aggregate of 15-2 and the Norwegians by 10-1 over the two matches.
Barcelona, European champions in two of the last three seasons and Spanish champion for the last four years, of top of La Liga F after winning its first five matches, ahead of Real Madrid on goal difference.
As it won the last match away to Atletico Madrid, its line-up contained six players from the Spain team that won the World Cup Final in August, as well as two members of the losing England side.
The only English representative, Chelsea, Super League Champion the last four seasons but loser in its only European final appearance, to Barcelona in 2021, has been drawn with another club chasing a first title, Real Madrid.
Swedes Hacken, which has not progressed past the quarterfinals, and debutant Paris FC, which upset twice champion Wolfsburg in qualifying round, fill out Group D.
Group C is also made up of big clubs with their noses pressed up against the glass of the Champions League trophy cabinet -- Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Roma and Ajax.
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PSG coach Jocelyn Precheur acknowledged the toughness of the draw: “When you get to this stage, the groups are always tight. We fought very hard to qualify (against Man Utd). We can’t wait for the challenge”.
In Group B, Lyon, which has won the competition a record eight times, drew Slavia Prague, Saint Poelten and Brann.
Reacting to the draw, Lyon coach Sonia Bompastor said her team was “kicking off this new campaign with lots of ambition” and aimed to “go all the way to the final”.
The group stage gets underway on November 14.
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