Champions League draw: Bayern draws Lewanowski

It’s not always easy to interpret a smile. But when the face of Oliver Kahn, CEO of FC Bayern Munich, appeared in the draw for the preliminary round of the Champions League on Thursday evening, an interpretation was obvious. His smile looked as if he had guessed or even known what was coming.

Okay, the fact that his Bayern Munich champions Viktoria Pilsen were drawn didn’t really fall into the “it had to happen that way” category. And the fact that the Italian top club Inter Milan was pulled out of the pot into Bayern Group C caused little movement. Kahn’s knowing smile was aimed at another opponent: FC Barcelona. Because this constellation means that there will soon be a reunion with the former employee Robert Lewandowski, who is known to have swapped the Isar for the Mediterranean coast this summer. After a well-known long and tough transfer theater, which led, among other things, to a public dispute between Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann and Barca President Joan Laporta and left some Bayern fans angry.

From this point of view, it is doubtful that the return of the top scorer by subscription in recent years will be heartfelt. Jordi Cruyff, son of Barça legend Johan Cruyff and now manager of the Catalans, was also not comfortable with the prospect of encounters with Munich. He stared at the screen on which the Group C teams were immortalized, his face frozen. Because beyond the morbid charm of the rendezvous with Lewandowski, the group with Inter is also athletically challenging.

The fact that the Catalans don’t start the race as favorites also has to do with the fact that Bayern have developed a reputation as feared opponents in recent years. At the latest with the humiliation in Lisbon, the 8-2 quarter-final victory in 2020, which paved the way for Bayern to six international titles in one year, the Catalans don’t want to know anything more about Bayern. The dramatic bankruptcy indirectly led to the resignation of the then presidency – and also to the departure of the former club icon Lionel Messi to Paris.

In the past season, the Munich team replaced the Catalans Watschn, who resonated. Bayern and Barça met in the Champions League preliminary round; Munich won 3-0 in the home arena and in the Camp Nou, and Lewandowski scored twice in the game in Barcelona. For Barcelona it was also because of these defeats after the preliminary round of the Champions League, with Bayern that happened later in the quarter-finals at FC Villarreal, who are not there this time. The elimination of the preliminary round was not only perceived as embarrassing in Barcelona at the time, it also tore even bigger holes in the coffers. And must be avoided this year as well.

A reunion with an “ex” will not only be in Munich, but also in Dortmund. Because Borussia, which is based there, was drawn to FC Sevilla, FC Copenhagen and Manchester City – since this summer the new club of former BVB striker Erling Haaland. This group can also be interpreted as demanding – but Dortmund shouldn’t be without a chance.

Incidentally, this also applies to Bayer Leverkusen – provided they find their normal form again. The Werkself have to deal with Atlético Madrid, FC Porto and FC Bruges – in a tight sequence of games, by the way. Like the national leagues, this year’s Champions League is suffering from the anomaly of the World Cup in Qatar, which begins in November and ends just under a week before Christmas. For the premier class, this means that the preliminary round will start on September 6th and 7th, the six group match days will be beaten in just nine weeks and end on November 2nd.

What else has been drawn? SG Eintracht Frankfurt received what they had wished for when they returned to the top competition: solvable tasks. As Europa League winners, the Hessians were seeded like the greats of the competition, they now meet Tottenham Hotspur, Olympique Marseille and Sporting Lisbon.

Anyone who speaks of the Champions League should not be silent about Real Madrid; the Spanish record champions are also “number 1” on the continental stage with 14 titles. Their way to a possible fifteenth triumph leads over the hurdles of Shakhtjar Donetsk, Celtic Glasgow – and RB Leipzig. Leipzig’s assistant coach Andreas Hinkel should have been particularly pleased, he played for Celtic for several years. For the Madrilenians, the preliminary round is not worth mentioning. They arranged to meet for dinner on the eve of the draw – and marked June 10, 2023. Then the final will take place in Istanbul in the Ataturk Stadium.

The groups at a glance.

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H