English giants to meet again

Revenge
Liverpool eliminated Chelsea at the semi-final stage last season, although the London side went on to win the Premiership having already defeated the Reds in the final of the English League Cup. The Premiership giants will come up against RSC Anderlecht and Spanish opposition in the form of Real Betis Balompié in Group G. There is also a repeat of the other 2005 semi-final in Group E, where the beaten finalists AC Milan face PSV Eindhoven in addition to FC Schalke 04 of Germany and Fenerbahçe SK.

Nine triumphs
Madrid, the most successful club in the history of the competition with nine triumphs, are in one of the most attractive pools, Group F, alongside French champions Olympique Lyonnais, Greek counterparts Olympiacos CFP and perennial group stage contenders Rosenborg BK. FC Bayern München will vie for Group A supremacy with Juventus FC, although Club Brugge KV proved their mettle when overcoming Vålerenga IF on penalties to reach the group stage last night. SK Rapid Wien are the fourth team in the section.

Forlán return
Villarreal CF striker Diego Forlán faces a return to Manchester United FC in Group D, and trips to LOSC Lille Métropole and SL Benfica. More past winners come together in a Group H featuring FC Internazionale Milano, FC Porto, Rangers FC and FC Artmedia Bratislava - the Slovakian surprise package who have already put out one Scottish side in Celtic FC. In Group B, four-times winners AFC Ajax encounter Arsenal FC, AC Sparta Praha and FC Thun, the Swiss outfit who are competing in this company for the first time. FC Barcelona, Panathinaikos FC and Werder Bremen will contest Group C along with another of the teams who qualified this week, Udinese Calcio.

Match dates
During the group stage, each club will play three matches on a Tuesday and three on a Wednesday, starting with the first of six Matchdays on 13/14 September. The remaining dates are: 27/28 September, 18/19 October, 1/2 November, 22/23 November and 6/7 December. The group winners and runners-up advance to the knockout stage, with the third-placed side moving into the third round of the UEFA Cup. The final will take place at the Stade de France on 17 May 2006 - 50 years after Paris staged the first final, won by Madrid.