The Premier League holders maintain favouritism to be crowned European champions ahead of Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain Manchester City were drawn alongside Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon and Hoffenheim. That has seen them remain at the head of the market but have moved from 5/1 (6.0) to 9/2 (5.50) with bet365. According to Opta data, 40% of Champions League winners have come from Group F – where City have been drawn this season – while Group G is the only one not to have produced a winner. As usual with this elite competition though, there is little to choose between several leading candidates and the market has remained wide open according to the bookmakers. Barcelona face a tricky looking group that also includes Tottenham, PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan. The Catalan giants are now available at 6/1 (7.0). Spurs for their part are 20/1 (21.0). Manchester United began the day as 25/1 (26.0) shots but Jose Mourinho's side have drifted further to 28/1 (29.0) after being draw in Group H with Juventus, Valencia and Young Boys. Juve were one of the teams at the head of affairs according to the odds compilers before the draw and they remain there, although the Old Lady's price has moved from 6/1 (7.0) to 13/2 (7.50). That will see Cristiano Ronaldo visit his former side of course, having won the competition with the Red Devils before four more victories with Los Blancos including each of the last three editions. There has been plenty of interest in the Serie A holders to conquer Europe since they signed the Champions League’s all-time leading scorer but their group looks far from straightforward. Liverpool (11/1 from 10/1) have been handed an extremely tricky assignment. The Reds will face Paris Saint-Germain (7/1), Napoli (50/1) and Red Star Belgrade (500/1). Bayern Munich are now 10/1 (11.0) and the Bundesliga holders will face Benfica, Ajax and AEK Athens in Group E. Real Madrid may be the holders but having seen Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane depart since their triumph over Liverpool in the summer, bet365 made the reigning European champions a 9/1 (10.0) chance pre-draw. They'll clash with Roma - semi-finalists from last season - plus CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen and remain as 9/1 (10.0) chances to make it four victories in a row. Two of Madrid’s last three wins have come despite finishing second in their group. Their city rivals have been beaten finalists twice in this competition and Atletico Madrid are 12/1 (13.0) having been drawn in Group A with Borussia Dortmund, Monaco and Club Brugge. Champions League Group Stage Draw in Full Group A: Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Club Brugge Group B: Barcelona, Tottenham, PSV Eindhoven, Inter Milan Group C: Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli, Liverpool, Red Star Belgrade Group D: Lokomotiv Moscow, Porto, Schalke, Galatasaray Group E: Bayern Munich, Benfica, Ajax, AEK Athens Group F: Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon, Hoffenheim Group G: Real Madrid, Roma, CSKA Moscow, Viktoria Plzen Group H: Juventus, Manchester United, Valencia, Young Boys Check out the latest Champions League odds at bet365<doc-sep>Get City news sent directly to your inbox! Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Manchester City are targeting Champions League glory after the disappointment of the last two seasons. Pep Guardiola’s side were dumped out by Liverpool, who finished 25 points behind them as they romped to the domestic title, in the quarter-finals and director of football Txiki Begiristain says they are determined to do better this season. City — who fell to Monaco at the first knockout hurdle in Guardiola's debut campaign 12 months earlier — have been given a favourable group draw, coming out in Group F with Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine, France's Lyon and German side Hoffenheim, on a day that also saw them drawn away to third-tier Oxford in the League Cup's third round. (Image: Reuters) (Image: AMA/Getty) Begiristain says they have the squad to compete on all fronts. “The Champions League is very important every season,” he said. “We want to be stronger in Europe and we want to have the opportunity to fight for this Champions League. “We are getting close, but we want to be closer than last season and we want to be there. “In England to win back-to-back Premier League is important so we have to focus on all competitions. Of course, it’s very good. “We have two good players in almost every position, so we are ready to go for everything.” (Image: PA Wire) Begiristain says City will take nothing for granted in their group and remembers how Shakhtar were the first side to beat the Blues last season in December. “It’s never easy,” he said. “We know Shakhtar and we are back against them. We had some difficulties trying to beat them at home last season, so we have to remind ourselves how difficult it is going to be. “Then we have two very good clubs in Lyon and Hoffenheim. They have done a very good job over the past few years, so it won’t be easy.”<doc-sep>Manchester United face a reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo after being pitted against Juventus in the Champions League group stage. Tottenham and Liverpool received tough draws as top-seed Manchester City got a favourable group, but the return of an Old Trafford favourite at a difficult time was arguably most eye-catching. Back-to-back defeats have ratcheted up the pressure on United manager Jose Mourinho, who may not get much respite in a Champions League group that also includes Valencia and Young Boys. Finalists in two of the previous four years, the Serie A champions are Group H favourites and have been bolstered by the summer arrival of United favourite Ronaldo. The Portuguese became a global star during his time at Old Trafford and Mourinho knows better than most about his compatriot's threat after working together - sometimes uneasily - at Real Madrid. Cross-town rivals City benefitted from their place in pot one of Thursday's draw at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. Pep Guardiola's Premier League champions face Shakhtar Donetsk again, with Lyon and Hoffenheim completing Group F. Liverpool and Tottenham, on the other hand, face far tougher asks. Barcelona, Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven are the Group B opponents for Mauricio Pochettino's Spurs, who also have to deal with off-field complications brought by their stadium delay. Tottenham have agreed with UEFA that their first home Champions League group match will be held at Wembley, but it is unclear what happens after that. Giorgio Marchetti, UEFA's deputy secretary general, said of the stadium issue: "In principle the regulations state that you have to play in a single stadium, but we will have to see." Last season's runners-up Liverpool also face difficult group-stage assignments. The Reds were in pot three despite their 2017-18 heroics and will face Paris St Germain, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade in Group C. "To be 100 per cent honest, it was not that I had a group I wished for or whatever," Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp told the club's official website. "I expected a difficult group, we have a difficult group and that's what the Champions League is all about. "PSG are one of the most exciting teams in the world and I think their target is to win the Champions League, so that will be two interesting matches. "Napoli, we beat them in pre-season but it goes without saying these two games will be completely a different challenge." Klopp is expecting "a very, very intense atmosphere" at Red Star, who confirmed earlier in the day that UEFA had accepted their appeal against an impending stadium ban for racist chanting. The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary body announced earlier this month that the Serbian champions would have to play two matches behind closed doors, with a one-match ban for racist behaviour against FK Suduva in July kicking a suspended disciplinary measure into force. Red Star were also fined 72,000 euros (£64,500) but a statement on the club website confirmed that the second match of the ban has now been wiped off. "Two-match stadium ban has been changed to one-match stadium ban and a fine," the group-stage debutants said. "The stadium ban has already been served since we played our Champions League play-off first leg match against FC Salzburg in front of empty stands. "Football is nothing without fans and we are delighted to have our supporters with us when we play in the UEFA Champions League." Elsewhere, Europa League holders Atletico Madrid's bid to reach the final held at their Wanda Metropolitano home starts in Group A against Borussia Dortmund, Monaco and Club Brugge. Bayern Munich, Benfica, Ajax and AEK Athens make up Group E, with holders Real Madrid joined by Roma, CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen in Group G. Group D looks the easiest of the eight, with Lokomotiv Moscow, Porto, Schalke and Galatasaray drawn together. Group A Atletico Madrid Borussia Dortmund Monaco Club Brugge Group B Barcelona Tottenham Hotspur PSV Eindhoven Inter Milan Group C Paris Saint-Germain Napoli Liverpool Red Star Belgrade Group D Lokomotiv Moscow Porto Schalke Galatasaray Group E Bayern Munich Benfica Ajax AEK Athens Group F Manchester City Shaktar Donetsk Lyon 1899 Hoffenheim Group G Real Madrid Roma CSKA Moscow Viktoria Plzen Group H Juventus Manchester United Valencia Young Boys Online Editors<doc-sep>
Manchester City are "ready to go for everything" after their Champions League group-stage draw, says director of football Txiki Begiristain. Pep Guardiola's side will face Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon and Hoffenheim in Group F, with their opener coming at home to Lyon on September 19. Premier League champions City were knocked out by Liverpool in the last eight of the Champions League last season. "We want to be even closer," Begiristain told Sky Germany. "We played the quarter-finals, we had the perception we could have been even better so we will try to do that this season." Their first-place finish in the Premier League meant a top-seed draw for this season's Champions League group stage. Champions League Group F Manchester City Shakhtar Donetsk Lyon Hoffenheim Begiristain added: "The Champions League is very important every season. We want to be stronger in Europe and we want to have the opportunity to fight for this Champions League. "We are getting close but we want to be closer than last season and we want to be there. "In England to win back-to-back Premier League is important so we have to focus on all competitions. Of course, it's very good. "We have two good players in almost every position, so we are ready to go for everything. "The idea was to create competition in every position. Aymeric Laporte came in January, Benjamin Mendy is fit again and we bought Riyad Mahrez. We feel we have a very, very good squad." Image: Guardiola knows Hoffenheim well from his time as Bayern Munich manager, says Begiristain But City must take Bundesliga side Hoffenheim "very, very seriously" in their Champions League group stage, Begiristain warned. He said he has studied City's German opposition in Group F many times in the past, dating back to when the club had Roberto Firmino in their ranks. They are becoming a "classic team" and a regular Bundesliga top-four club, according to Begiristain, and present a serious challenge for City alongside Lyon and Shakhtar Donetsk. "They've done lovely work as a football club," he said. "We need to take all the teams, but especially Hoffenheim very, very seriously." Hoffenehim were in the fifth tier of German football back in 2000, but finished third behind champions Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig last season under manager Julian Nagelsmann. Image: Hoffenheim boss Julian Nagelsmann is a 'very good friend' of Pep Guardiola The 31-year-old was reportedly a candidate for the manager's jobs at Arsenal and Real Madrid over the summer, and is a "very good friend" of City boss Guardiola, said Begiristain. Guardiola managed Bayern to three consecutive Bundesliga titles before arriving at City in 2016. "We have Pep, all of his staff have been in Germany, so they now how strong Hoffenheim are," said Begiristain. Manchester City's Champions League Group F fixtures Wednesday September 19: Lyon (Home) Tuesday October 2: Hoffenheim (Away) Tuesday October 23: Shakhtar Donetsk (Away) Wednesday November 7: Shakhtar Donetsk (Home) Tuesday November 27: Lyon (Away) Wednesday December 12: Hoffenheim (Home)