Yesterday was the red carpet for the 20/21 UEFA Champions League as the board finalized this year’s groups. While you can check out the relevant article on our website by clicking here, the most exciting news from the group stage draw has to be Group G.
While the group of death is most certainly Group H, with PSG, Manchester United, Leipzig and Istanbul Basaksehir competing for two spots in the round of 16, fans were blown away by Juventus and Barcelona being drawn in the same group.
While Ronaldo was in Spain, there was no chance of Madrid being drawn against Barcelona during the group stage. That was and still is, due to the national seeding.
However, since Ronaldo’s move to Juventus in 2018, the group stage draw is realistic and is officially happening.
The last time Messi and Ronaldo faced off against each other in the Champions League was a decade ago, during the 2010-11 season. Barcelona knocked out Real Madrid in the semi-finals and then proceeded to win the title.
The fact that they beat Ronaldo’s former club, Manchester United in the final only goes to show how good the team was during that time.
Although UEFA has not announced the official dates, the clash between two of the greatest players of this generation will happen twice. Once at Camp Nou and once at the Juventus stadium.
Neither Messi nor Ronaldo has managed to win the UCL since the Portuguese superstar departed for Italy following his fourth Champions League trophy with Real Madrid in 2018.
With Barcelona managing to outdo their hilarious Champions League exits every year since Roma stumped them, Messi and Co. will be hungry to establish themselves as a top force in Europe especially given the rebuilding project, headed by Ronald Koeman.
Ronaldo’s Juventus might be one of the underdogs this season, due to Pirlo being in charge of his first senior team. Expecting the former Juventus player to deliver a Champions League in his first season seems too much too soon, but it has been done before. And it could be done again.
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