Celtic and Rangers discover Champions League group stage opponents as draw throws up glamour ties

The draw was made in Istanbul as six British clubs learned who they'll face in the competition

Celtic and Rangers have learned their Champions League group stage opponents, with both sides landing glamour ties against holders Real Madrid and English giants Liverpool respectively.

The draw was made by former Manchester City star Yaya Toure and ex-Bayern Munich midfielder Hamit Altintop in Istanbul, with both Scottish teams in Pot 4.

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Celtic, who gained automatic qualifcation after being crowned Scottish Premiership champions last season, return to the group stage after a five-year absence.

Rangers, who qualified via the play-offs after overcoming Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and PSV Eindhoven will make their first appearance in the group stages in 12 years.

The last time Scotland had two representatives in the group phase of UEFA’s premier competition was in 2007/08 and both Glasgow giants will relish the opportunity to test themselves against some of Europe’s elite clubs.

2022/23 UEFA Champions League groups in full:

GROUP A - Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, RANGERS

GROUP B - FC Porto, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Club Brugge

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GROUP C - Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Viktoria Plzen

GROUP D - Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham Hotspur, Sporting Lisbon, Marseille

GROUP E - AC Milan, Chelsea, Red Bull Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb

GROUP F - Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, CELTIC

GROUP G - Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, FC Copenhagen

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GROUP H - Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, SL Benfica, Maccabi Haifa

Celtic opponents detailed

REAL MADRID (ESP)

Pot: 1

UEFA coefficient ranking: 4

How they qualified: Champions League holders

Last season: Winners (1-0 vs Liverpool)

Best European Cup performance: Winners (1955/56, 1956/57, 1957/58, 1958/59, 1959/60, 1965/66, 1997/98, 1999/2000, 2001/02, 2013/14. 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2021/22)

Interesting fact: Real Madrid have never failed to make it through the group stage of the UEFA Champions League

RB LEIPZIG (GER)

Pot: 2

UEFA coefficient ranking: 13

How they qualified: Fourth in Bundesliga

Last season: Group stage (third), Europa League semi-finals

Best European Cup performance: Semi-Finals (2019/20)

Interesting fact: RB Leipzig’s 5-0 win at Club Brugge in the group stage last season was their biggest victory in any European game

SHAKHTAR DONETSK (UKR)

Pot: 3

UEFA coefficient ranking: 22

How they qualified: Ukrainian champions

Last season: Group stage (fourth)

Best European Cup performance: Quarter-Finals (2010/11)

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Interesting fact: Shakhtar have reached the group stage for the 17th time but not progressed further in 12 of the previous 16 campaigns

Rangers opponents detailed

AJAX (NED)

Pot: 1

UEFA coefficient ranking: 15

How they qualified: Eredivisie champions

Last season: Round of 16 (Lost 3-2 vs Benfica on agg)

Best European Cup performance: Winners (1970/71, 1971/72, 1972/73, 1994/95)

Interesting fact: Ajax won all six group games for the first time in their history last season, topping their group for the first time since 1995/96 as a result

LIVERPOOL (ENG)

Pot: 2

UEFA coefficient ranking: 2

How they qualified: Runners-up in English Premier League

Last season: Runners-up (Lost 1-0 vs Real Madrid)

Best European Cup performance: Winners (1976/77, 1977/78, 1980/81, 1983/84, 2004/05, 2018/19)

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Interesting fact: Liverpool became the first English club to win all six of their games in a single Champions League group stage last season

NAPOLI (ITA)

Pot: 3

UEFA coefficient ranking: 25

How they qualified: Third in Serie A

Last season: Europa League knockout round play-offs

Best European Cup performance: Round of 16 (2011/12, 2016/17, 2019/20)

Interesting fact: Napoli have advanced through the group stage in three of their six appearances, but were eliminated in the round of 16 on each occasion they made the knockout stages

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