GENEVA (Reuters) - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will face each other for the first time in more than two years after their teams, Barcelona and Juventus, were drawn together on Thursday in the Champions League group stage.
Defending champions Bayern Munich face a potentially bruising two matches against Atletico Madrid while the draw also produced several other heavyweight clashes including Paris St Germain v Manchester United and Real Madrid v Inter Milan.
Premier League champions Liverpool must face Ajax Amsterdam and free-scoring Serie A side Atalanta.
The draw, usually held at a lavish ceremony in a seaside conference hall in Monaco, this time took place in a Geneva television studio due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barcelona and Juventus, who met in the 2015 final, were paired in Group G along with Dynamo Kyiv and Hungarian side Ferencvaros, who are back in the group stage after a 25-year absence.
Ronaldo, 35, and Messi, 33, the two highest scorers in Champions League history with 130 and 115 goals respectively, have not clashed since the Portuguese left Real Madrid to join Juventus at the end of the 2017-18 season.