Italian and Spanish titans to clash

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Aug 28, 2009

Barcelona-Inter Milan and Real Madrid-AC Milan -- those are the two biggest pairings in the eight groups drawn for the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League on Thursday in Monaco.

The only other group in which two other former champions were drawn together is Group A with Germany's Bayern Munich and Italy's Juventus.

Marseille is joined by Real Madrid and AC Milan, giving Group C three former champions.

Two groups contain no former champions: Group G with Sevilla, Rangers, VfB Stuttgart and Unirea Uriziceni and Group H with Arsenal, AZ, Olympiakos and Standard Liege.

DRAW:
Group A
Bayern Munich, Juventus, Bordeaux, Maccabi Haifa

Group B
Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, Wolfsburg

Group C
AC Milan, Real Madrid, Marseille, FC Zurich

Group D
Chelsea, Porto, Atletico Madrid, APOEL

Group E
Liverpool, Lyon, Fiorentina, Debrecen

Group F
Barcelona, Inter Milan, Dynamo Kiev, FC Rubin Kazan

Group G
Sevilla, Rangers, VfB Stuttgart, Unirea Uriziceni

Group H
Arsenal, AZ, Olympiakos, Standard Liege

SCHEDULE:
Group Stage
Matchday 1
September 15-16, 2009
Matchday 2
September 29-30, 2009
Matchday 3
October 20-21, 2009
Matchday 4
November 3-4, 2009
Matchday 5
November 24-25, 2009
Matchday 6
December 8-9, 2009
Final Phase
First round
February 16-24, 2010
March 9-17, 2010
Quarterfinals
March 30-31, 2010
April 6-7, 2010
Semifinals
April 20-21, 2010
April 27-28, 2010
Final
May 22, 2010

Click here for UEFA Champions League group stage schedule.

TELEVISION:
The UEFA Champions League debuts this year on the Fox networks. Fox Soccer Channel will air one game live on Sept. 15 and 16 and provide delayed coverage of 10 games during the week of Sept. 15-20.

Click here for Fox Soccer Channel's UEFA Champions League schedule.