Arsenal, after qualifying for the Champions League by a 5-0 aggregate victory in the play-offs over Fenerbache, have their tasks cut out after being drawn alongside last season’s finalists Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and Marseille in the Champions League group stage.
Manchester United and Chelsea are placed in a relatively easier group, while Manchester City will be facing defending champions Bayern Munich in the group stages.
After facing AC Milan in the knockout stages over the last two years, Barcelona have drawn the Serie A side early in the group stage this season, while Real Madrid will be setting up for a mouth-watering group stage clash with Juventus.
Group A: Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Bayer Leverkusen, Real Sociedad.
Group B: Real Madrid, Juventus, Galatasaray, FC Copenhagen.
Group C: Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Olympiakos, Anderlecht.
Group D: Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow, Manchester City, FC Viktoria Plzen.
Group E: Chelsea, Schalke, FC Basel, Steaua Bucharest.
Group F: Arsenal, Marseille, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli.
Group G: Porto, Atlético Madrid, Zenit St Petersburg, Austria Vienna.
Group H: Barcelona, Milan, Ajax, Celtic.