By Andreas Vou and Mike Collett
APOEL have been handed an extremely tough Champions League task after being pitted against Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Ajax Amsterdam in the so-called ‘Group of Death’.
Giorgos Donis’ side have not met any of the aforementioned trio in any competition in their history though their last Champions League campaign ended against Barca’s arch-rivals Real Madrid in the quarter finals.
The Cypriot champions will forever be associated with that famous journey in the 2011-12 season where they reached the last eight of Europe’s elite competition before losing out to the ten-time and current European champions 8-2 on aggregate.
It will be APOEL’s third Champions League campaign in just six seasons but they face an almighty battle to get out of the group.
Nevertheless, APOEL have grown accustomed to their ‘underdog’ status and are certain to cause problems for their opponents at the GSP stadium in Nicosia, with the crowd creating intimidating atmospheres on famous European nights.
APOEL sealed their place in the competition on Wednesday after a comprehensive 4-0 win over Danish club Aalborg at the GSP in Nicosia, to seal a 5-1 aggregate win.
Elsewhere, European champions Real will face former champions Liverpool, FC Basel and debutants Ludogorets of Bulgaria following the draw for the group stage.
Real won the title for the 10th time when they beat Atletico Madrid 4-1 after extra time in Lisbon in May and have the chance to avenge a 5-0 aggregate defeat to five-time champions Liverpool in the last 16 in 2009.
Further back in time Liverpool beat Real 1-0 in the 1981 European Cup final in Paris.
The draw, held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo, had a distinct air of deja vu about it.
Arsenal were drawn in the same group as Borussia Dortmund for the second successive season, as were Chelsea and Schalke and Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
Bayern and City were joined by CSKA Moscow for the second straight season too with AS Roma completing the quartet in Group E.
Last season’s runners-up Atletico were grouped with former champions Juventus, Olympiacos Piraeus and Malmo of Sweden.
Group A
Atletico Madrid
Juventus
Olympiacos
Malmo
Group B
Real Madrid
Basel
Liverpool
Ludogorets
Group C
Benfica
Zenit St Petersburg
Bayer Leverkusen
Monaco
Group D
Arsenal
Borussia Dortmund
Galatasaray
Anderlecht
Group E
Bayern Munich
Manchester City
CSKA Moscow
Roma
Group F
Barcelona
PSG
Ajax
APOEL
Group G
Chelsea
Schalke
Sporting Lisbon
Maribor
Group H
Porto
Shakhtar Donetsk
Athletic Bilbao
BATE Borisov
