English Premier League clubs Manchester United and Liverpool will head to Russia this season to play Moscow clubs on consecutive days in the UEFA Champions League.
Following UEFA’s Champions League group stage draw, held in Monaco on Thursday, Manchester United were drawn in Group A alongside CSKA Moscow, while United’s rivals Liverpool were drawn in Group E with CSKA’s rivals Spartak Moscow.
Shortly after, the dates of the games were released, with Liverpool being scheduled to play current Russian champions Spartak in Moscow on September 26, one day before last season’s Europa league winners Manchester United take on CSKA in the city on September 27.
The fixtures mean the teams will all play in the northwest England on consecutive days in December, each of the fierce rivals meeting once again for their respective return legs, which could turn out to be deciding games.
Full Champions League groups
Group A
Benfica, Manchester United, Basel, CSKA Moscow
Group B
Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Anderlecht, Celtic
Group C
Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Roma, Qarabag
Group D
Juventus, Barcelona, Olympiacos, Sporting
Group E
Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, Liverpool, Maribor
Group F
Shakhtar, Manchester City, Napoli, Feyenoord
Group G
Monaco, Porto, Besiktas, RB Leipzig
Group H
Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur, APOEL