Posted by The draw for the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League group stage which is slated to begin on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, took place yesterday in Geneva.
Thirty-two teams were divided into eight groups of four, and as a result, we are treated to some fantastic matchups, including Barcelona vs. Juventus (Messi vs. Ronaldo), Manchester United vs. Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich vs. Atletico Madrid.
But which Ghanaian players will be playing in the competition this season?
1. Thomas Partey (Atlético Madrid)
Atletico Madrid secured a place in the Group stages of the Uefa Champions league after they finished 3rd in La Liga with 70 points.
Atletico Madrid, who were losing finalists in 2013 and 2016 to Real Madrid will be playing in their 8th consecutive Uefa Champions league.
Los Rojiblancos were drawn in Group A with 2020 winners Bayern Munich, Austria champions Red Bull Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow.
However, it is unclear whether Thomas Partey will still be at the club when the competition kicks off. The combative midfielder is linked with a love to Arsenal.
2. Majeed Ashimeru (Red Bull Salzburg)
Despite finishing first in the Austria Bundesliga, Red Bull Salzburg had to play in the Champions league qualifiers to earn a place in the group stages.
Salzburg played Israeli fold Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 4th round of the qualifiers and defeated them 5-2 on aggregate.
Salzburg were drawn in Group A with Bayern Munich, Thomas Partey’s Atletico Madrid and Lokomotiv Moscow.
3. Kwadwo Asamoah (Inter Milan)
Kwadwo Asamoah’s Inter Milan secured a place in the 2020/21 Uefa Champions league after they finished second in Seria A, just a point behind winners Juventus.
Inter, who have struggled to play in the Champions league in recent years will be playing in their 4th consecutive champions league.
However, it remains unclear whether Kwadwo Asamoah who has in recent months being on the fringes and hasn’t featured for the club since December 2019 will still be at Inter when the competition begins later this month.
Inter were drawn in Group B with thirteen times champions Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Monchengladbach.
4. Mohammed Kudus (Ajax)
Kudus Mohammed’s Ajax secured a place in the group stages of the UEFA champions league after Bayern Munich defeated Lyon 3-0 in last season’s Champions league semi-final clash.
The results meant that Ajax, who were named champions of the Erevidisie after the 2019/20 league season was truncated due to the coronavirus pandemic and were to play in the qualifiers earned an automatic place in the Group stages.
The Dutch champion were drawn in group D with 2019 champions Liverpool, 2020 quarterfinalists Atalanta and Midtjylland.
5. Baba Rahman (Chelsea)
Chelsea earned a place in the group stage of the 2020/21 Champions league after defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 on the final day of the premier league season to finished 4th.
The 2013 Champions league winners were drawn in Group E with 2020 Europa league winners Sevilla, Krasnodar and Rennes.
Nevertheless, it is uncertain whether Baba Rahman will be part of the squad that will represent Chelsea in the competition.
The 26-year-old hasn’t featured for Chelsea since 2016 and has gone on loan at 3 different clubs (Schalke 04, Reims and Real Mallorca) in 5 seasons.
6. Abraham Frimpong (Ferencvarosi)
Hungarian champions Ferencvarosi secured a place in the group stages of the 2020/21 Uefa Champions league for the first time since 1995/96 after sailing through the qualifying rounds.
Ferencvarosi defeated Djugardens 2-0 in the first round, Celtic 2-1 in the second round, Dynamo Zagreb 2-1 in the third round and advanced to the group stages by the away goal rule after drawing 3-3 against Molde FK.
The Hungarian champions were drawn in Group G with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus, Lionel Messi’s Barcelona and Dynamo Kyiv.