PARIS: Real Madrid open the defense of their Champions League title with an opening group match at Scottish champions Celtic after the fixtures were announced on Saturday.
The 14-time victors travel to Glasgow for their Group F clash on September 6, the same night that French champions Paris Saint Germain entertain Italian giants Juventus in Group H.
Real Madrid’s bitter rivals Barcelona are in the toughest looking group along with German champions Bayern Munich and Italian side Inter Milan.
Barca, though, open their Group C campaign against Czech outfit Viktoria Plzen whilst Bayern are away at Inter Milan on September 7.
Those games serve as the appetizer before Barcelona host Bayern on September 13.
Liverpool, beaten by Real in last season’s final, travel to Napoli for their first Group A match on September 7.
Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester City are also both away.
Chelsea — who beat City in the 2021 final — travel to Dinamo Zagreb in Group E and Manchester City are at Spanish side Sevilla in Group G on September 6.
Two other British clubs enter the fray on September 7 — Tottenham Hotspur host Marseille in Group D whilst Rangers, who are in the same section as Liverpool, play Ajax in Amsterdam.
The group stage has been compressed this season due to the World Cup kicking off in Qatar on November 20.
Real Madrid open Champions League defense at Celtic
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Real Madrid open Champions League defense at Celtic
- The 14-time victors travel to Glasgow for their Group F clash on September 6
- Liverpool, beaten by Real in last season’s final, travel to Napoli for their first Group A match on September 7
Two own goals save Arsenal blushes against Wolves
LONDON: Arsenal avoided a major embarrassment against Premier League bottom club Wolves on Saturday, benefiting from two own goals — one in stoppage time — to win 2-1 and move five points clear of Manchester City.
Manager Mikel Arteta admitted that his team had struggled to create clear chances and that the win should have been much more comfortable.
But he said that the manner of the victory would give the team a major boost.
“That gives you belief that regardless of how the game goes, you can always find a solution to win it,” he told TNT Sports.
“But now we’re going to have a clean week. We need to start to train certain aspects slowly, because if you don’t train them, you start to deteriorate a little bit.”
Arteta’s men were blunt in the first half, failing to muster a single shot on target as Gabriel Martinelli wasted a clutch of chances.
The Arsenal boss made three changes shortly before the hour mark, bringing on Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino for Martinelli, Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi.
The Gunners mounted wave after wave of attacks, and Declan Rice’s shot midway through the second half — their first on target — was well saved by Sam Johnstone.
But in the 70th minute the sheer weight of pressure told to the enormous relief of an impatient and nervy Emirates crowd.
Johnstone flicked Bukayo Saka’s corner onto a post as he scrambled to reach the ball but it rebounded back onto his arm and into the net for an own goal.
Gabriel Jesus came on for Viktor Gyokores for his first home match after 11 months out injured.
Astonishingly, Wolves pulled level in the 90th minute, when Mateus Mane’s flat cross was headed in by Nigerian striker Tolu Arokodare.
But just as the Arsenal fans contemplated a damaging draw, the Gunners benefited from a second own goal.
Saka delivered a perfect cross which Jesus attacked but the ball was diverted into his own net by Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera.
Winless Wolves, with a ninth league defeat in a row, have mustered just two points from their 16 games so far and are on course for the worst season in Premier League history.
Pep Guardiola’s City travel to in-form Crystal Palace on Sunday seeking to close the gap to Arsenal, who have not won the Premier League since 2004.
