Former Ivorian striker Didier Drogba shows the ticket of Juventus during the Uefa Champions League draw. EPA
Former Ivorian striker Didier Drogba shows the ticket of Juventus during the Uefa Champions League draw. EPA
Former Ivorian striker Didier Drogba shows the ticket of Juventus during the Uefa Champions League draw. EPA
Former Ivorian striker Didier Drogba shows the ticket of Juventus during the Uefa Champions League draw. EPA

Champions League draw: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo go head-to-head in group stage


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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will renew their rivalry in the Champions League group stages after Barcelona and Juventus were drawn together on Thursday.

Barcelona and Juventus, who met in the 2015 final, were paired in Group G along with Ukraine's Dynamo Kiev and Hungarian side Ferencvaros.

Messi, 33, and 35-year-old Ronaldo have been the preeminent forces of their generation, sharing 11 of the past 12 Ballon d'Ors between them, with Barcelona's captain holding a slight edge with six.

Both players have won the Champions League on four occasions.

Current holders Bayern Munich will face Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid after they were drawn in Group A alongside Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow.

The draw, held at a television studio in Geneva, produced several other high-profile clashes.

Premier League club Manchester United were drawn in a challenging Group H featuring last season's runners-up Paris Saint-Germain, quarter-finalists RB Leipzig of Germany, and Turkish champions Istanbul Basaksehir.

Real Madrid, the tournament's most successful club with 13 titles, also face a tough-looking Group B comprising Serie A side Inter Milan, Ukrainian league winners Shakhtar Donetsk, and Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have been placed in Group C and will face Portuguese champions Porto, Greek league winners Olympiakos, and French club Marseille.

Premier League champions Liverpool were drawn alongside Dutch title holders Ajax, last season's quarter-finalists Atalanta, and Danish qualifiers Midtjylland in Group D.

Chelsea's new goalkeeper Edouard Mendy will have an immediate reunion with his former club after the Blues were placed in Group E with Rennes, Europa League winners Sevilla, and Russian qualifiers FK Krasnodar.

Meanwhile, Group F will comprise Zenit St Petersburg, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio, and Bruges.

Following the draw ceremony, Uefa announced that spectators will be allowed at European club and national team competition matches, at up to 30 per cent of stadium capacity, where local authorities allow.

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2019/20 Champions League final in pictures

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European football's governing body said the decision followed what it described as a successful pilot match on September 24 where Bayern Munich faced Sevilla in the Super Cup in Budapest.

Apart from that game, Uefa has staged all matches behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic since the restart of football in June.

Uefa said that matches cannot be played with spectators where local authorities do not allow it and that the limit of 30 per cent may be reached if the limit set by local authorities is not lower.

Uefa added that away fans would not be allowed, that social distancing will be mandatory for spectators, and additional precautionary measures such as the wearing of masks must be implemented according to local rules.

"The Uefa Super Cup demonstrated that it is possible for fans to attend football matches in the right circumstances by putting their health and safety first with comprehensive mitigating measures in place," Uefa said.

"[The] decision is a sensible first step which puts fans’ health first and respects the laws in each country," he said. "This decision allows much more local flexibility to deal with admitting fans than was previously the case, always respecting the assessment of local authorities."

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Name: Brendalle Belaza

From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines

Arrived in the UAE: 2007

Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus

Favourite photography style: Street photography

Favourite book: Harry Potter

Name: Peter Dicce

Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics

Favourite sport: soccer

Favourite team: Bayern Munich

Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer

Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates 

 

THE BIO

Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13 

Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier

Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife 

What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents. 

Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.

What is Diwali?

The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.

According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.

In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.  

 

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

Super Saturday race card

4pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 | US$350,000 | (Dirt) | 1,200m
4.35pm: Al Bastakiya Listed | $300,000 | (D) | 1,900m
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 | $350,000 | (Turf) | 1,200m
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 | $350,000 | (D) | 1,600m
6.20pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 | $300,000 | (T) | 2,410m
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 | $600,000 | (D) | 2,000m
7.30pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 | $400,000 | (T) | 1,800m

While you're here
Salah in numbers

€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of 39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.

13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.

57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.

7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.

3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.

40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.

30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.

8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.

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Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

The Programme

Saturday, October 26: ‘The Time That Remains’ (2009) by Elia Suleiman
Saturday, November 2: ‘Beginners’ (2010) by Mike Mills
Saturday, November 16: ‘Finding Vivian Maier’ (2013) by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel
Tuesday, November 26: ‘All the President’s Men’ (1976) by Alan J Pakula
Saturday, December 7: ‘Timbuktu’ (2014) by Abderrahmane Sissako
Saturday, December 21: ‘Rams’ (2015) by Grimur Hakonarson