Battle of Britain looms following Champions League draw

Holders Manchester United will face Celtic in the Champions League group stages following the draw in Monaco.

Alex Ferguson’s side, who beat Premier League rivals Chelsea on penalties in the final in Moscow in May, were also joined by Spanish side Villarreal and Danish club Aalborg in Group E.

The trip to Spain to play Villarreal will bring back bad memories for England striker Wayne Rooney who was sent off playing against the same club in September 2005.

Rooney was dismissed after reacting to a booking by sarcastically applauding Kim Milton Nielsen’s decision right under the referee’s nose.

It left the man who famously sent David Beckham off during England’s World Cup clash with Argentina in 1998 with little alternative other than to brandish a second yellow and dismiss Rooney from the field.

Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura starred in both matches, scoring a stunning winner in the second game.

Villarreal will also be familiar opponents for Celtic fans, the Spaniards beating the Hoops 3-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2004.

They also ended Rangers’ dreams of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals in 2006 with an away-goals success in their last-16 clash.

Danish champions Aalborg, meanwhile, ultimately profited from Rangers’ failure to reach this season’s group phase.

Runners-up Chelsea have been drawn in Group A along with Italian giants Roma, French side Bordeaux and Romanian club Cluj.

Luiz Felipe Scolari’s team will look to go one better than last season when they were beaten on penalties by United.

Arsenal have been drawn in Group G with Porto, Fenerbahce and Dynamo Kiev.

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres faces an emotional return to former club Atletico Madrid after the Anfield outfit were drawn in Group D along with PSV Eindhoven and Marseille.

Draw for the group stage of the Champions League.

Group A

Chelsea

Roma

Bordeaux

CFR Cluj

Group B

Internazionale

Werder Bremen

Panathinaikos

Anorthosis Famagusta

Group C

Barcelona

Sporting Lisbon

Basle

Shakhtar Donetsk

Group D

Liverpool

PSV Eindhoven

Marseille

Atletico Madrid

Group E

Manchester United

Villarreal

Celtic

AaB

Group F

Lyon

Bayern Munich

Steaua Bucharest

Fiorentina

Group G

Arsenal

Porto

Fenerbahce

Dynamo Kiev

Group H

Real Madrid

Juventus

Zenit St Petersburg

BATE Borisov