Goal brings you all the details about this year's competition, including the teams involved, when the games are and more
The Champions League has returned for another season as the 2020-21 edition of UEFA's premier club competition gets underway.
Bayern Munich are out to defend their crown as kings of the continent, with the likes of Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester City sure to provide stern resistance.
Four teams - Krasnodar, Midtjylland, Rennes and Istanbul Basaksehir - will make their debuts in the group stage of the competition and will be desperate to make an impression at the top table.
With the action ready to heat up, Goal brings you everything you need to know about this season's Champions League.
Contents
Which teams are in the Champions League 2020-21 group stage? What are the Champions League 2020-21 matchday & draw dates? When & where will the Champions League 2020-21 final be played? Champions League 2020-21 group stage, fixtures & resultsWhich teams are in the Champions League 2020-21 group stage?
The teams were drawn into the following groups:
Group A: Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg, Lokomotiv Moscow
Group B: Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter, Borussia Monchengladbach
Group C: Porto, Man City, Olympiakos, Marseille
Group D: Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta, Midtjylland
Group E: Sevilla, Chelsea, Krasnodar, Rennes
Group F: Zenit, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio, Club Brugge
Group G: Juventus, Barcelona, Dynamo Kiev, Ferencvaros
Group H: PSG, Manchester United, RB Leipzig, Istanbul Basaksehir
What are the Champions League 2020-21 matchday & draw dates?
| Phase | Draw date | Game dates |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Round | July 17, 2020 | August 8 & 11 |
| First qualifying round | August 9, 2020 | August 18-19 |
| Second qualifying round | August 10, 2020 | August 25-26 |
| Third qualifying round | August 31, 2020 | September 15-16 |
| Play-off | September 1, 2020 | September 22-23 & 29-30 |
| Group stage | October 1, 2020 | October 20 - December 9 |
| Last 16 | December 14, 2020 | February 16-17, 23-24 & March 9-10, 16-17 |
| Quarter-final | March 19, 2021 | April 6-7, 13-14 |
| Semi-final | March 19, 2021 | April 27-28 & May 4-5 |
| Final | March 19, 2021 | May 29 |
The Champions League group stage draw 2020-21 took place on October 1, 2020 and the first games of the group stage will be played on October 20, with six matchdays running until December 9.
The knockout stage of the Champions League kicks off with the last 16 games taking place in February and March 2021, with the draw being held in December 2020.
After that, the draw for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final (to decide the 'home team') will be held in March, with those games set to be played across April and May.
When & where will the Champions League 2020-21 final be played?
The 2020-21 Champions League final will take place on Friday May 29, 2021. The match is expected to kick off at 8pm BST (3pm ET).
It will be played at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. Home of the Turkey national team, the Ataturk Olympic Stadium had been due to host the 2019-20 final.
The venue previously hosted the Champions League final in 2005, when Liverpool staged 'The Miracle of Istanbul' to come from behind and defeat favourites AC Milan.
Champions League 2020-21 group stage, fixtures & results
Group tables
Fixtures & results
The draw for the group stage was held on October 1, 2020.
A number of intriguing match-ups have been thrown together in the group stage, with Lionel Messi locking horns with his arch rival Cristiano Ronaldo in Group G, as Barcelona and Juventus collide.
Manchester United will go head-to-head with Paris Saint-Germain again and Neymar et al will no doubt be keen for revenge having been dumped out of last season's competition in the last 16 by the Red Devils.
Liverpool, meanwhile, face into games against Ajax in Group D and the reigning champions Bayern will have to overcome Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid, who now have the potency of Luis Suarez in attack.