Juventus, Dynamo Kyiv and Ferencváros in Champions League group stage
FC Barcelona have learned what three teams they will be playing in the 2020/21 Champions League. The Catalans were in the second seeded pot in today’s draw held in Geneva Switzerland and have been paired with Juventus (Italy), Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) and Ferencváros (Hungary).
Juventus
Barça and Juventus know all about each other, and in 13 previous meetings in European competition the record is four wins for Barça, five for the Italians and four draws. The most memorable of those games was obviously the Champions League Final in 2015, which Barça won 3-1 in Berlin. Juve got their revenge two years later by winning in the quarter finals. The teams also crossed paths in the group stage two seasons ago.
The winners of an incredible nine consecutive editions of Serie A, Juventus have been crowned champions of Europe twice (1985 and 1996). The game will mean a return to the Camp Nou for Arthur – and also for Cristiano Ronaldo.
1970/71 UEFA Cup Second Round
Juventus won 4-2 on aggregate
1985/86 European Cup Quarter Final
Barça won 2-1 on aggregate
1990/91 Cup Winners' Cup Semi Final
Barça won 3-2 on aggregate
2002/03 Champions League Quarter Final
Juventus won 3-2 on aggregate
2014/15 Champions League Final
Barça won 3-1
2016/17 Champions League Quarter Final
Juventus won 3-0 on aggregate
2017/18 Champions League Group Stage
Barça 3-0 Juventus / Juventus 0-0 Barça
Dynamo Kyiv
This will be the sixth time that Barça have met the side that has won 14 Ukrainian league titles since the country became independent. The five last meetings, like this one, have come in the group stage. Barça have generally had the upper hand, but the encounter in 1997 still lingers in the memory, when a first half hat-trick from Andriy Shevchenko at Camp Nou ended Barça’s hopes of progressing.
1990/91 Cup Winners' Cup Quarter Final
Barça won 4-3 on aggregate
1991/92 European Cup Group Stage
Kyiv 0-2 Barça / Barça 3-0 Kyiv
1993/94 Champions League Group Stage
Kyiv 3-1 Barça / Barça 4-1 Kyiv
1997/98 Champions League Group Stage
Kyiv 3-0 Barça / Barça 0-4 Kyiv
2009/10 Champions League Group Stage
Barça 2-0 Kyiv / Kyiv 1-2 Barça
Ferencváros
The most supported team in Hungary won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1965, shocking none other than Juventus 1–0 in the final in Turin. This year’s Champions League also brings a revival of history as they face Dynamo Kyiv, who they played in the final of the 1975 Cup Winners' Cup.
However, they have never played Barça before, and it will be the first time a Hungarian team has met Barça in Europe since Vasas in the third round of the UEFA Cup in 1975. Ferencváros are playing in the Champions Group stage for only the second time ever, having also reached this stage in 1995/96. They qualified this time by negotiating no fewer than four qualification rounds against Djurgårdens (Sweden), Celtic (Scotland), Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) and Molde (Norway).
A fast-tracked group stage
Because of Covid-19, the Champions League group matches are going to be played to an especially tight schedule. It starts with three sets of games played in back-to-back weeks, and following a fortnight's break, the reverse fixtures will also be played in just three weeks
The match dates are as follows:
October 20 and 21
October 27 and 28
November 3 and 4
November 24 and 25
December 1 and 2
December 8 and 9.
The final is being played on May 29 at the Atatürk Stadium in Istanbul.
The full draw for the Champions League group stage:
Group A: Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid, Salzburg, Lokomotiv Moskva
Group B: Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Internazionale, Borussia Mönchengladbach
Group C: Porto, Manchester City, Olympiacos, Marseille
Group D: Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta, Midtjylland
Group E: Sevilla, Chelsea Krasnodar, Rennes
Group F: Zenit Saint Petersburg, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio, Club Brugge
Group G: Juventus, FC Barcelona, Dynamo Kyiv, Ferencvaros
Group H: Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, RB Leipzig, Istanbul Basaksehir