30 Aug 2008

Liverpool CEO says Champions League necessary

5:34 am on 30 August 2008

English football club Chelsea has received the kindest draw of the four English clubs that have qualified for the group stages of the Champions League.

Chelsea, who finished runners up in the competition last season, will play Roma, Bordeaux and Romanian debutants CFR Cluj, whe the competition resumes next month.

Holders Manchester United have been drawn with Scottish champions Celtic, Spain's Villareal and another newcomer to the group stage Aalborg of Denmark.

Arsenal face some tricky ties against Portugal's porto, Fenerbahce of Turkey and Dynamo Kiev, while five times champions Liverpool will be wary of the threat posed by PSV Eindhoven, Atletico Madrid and Olympique Marseille.

Liverpool Chief Executive Rick Parry says Champions League football is important to the club.

It's a mixed bag in group H, where European giants Real Madrid and Juventus have been drawn together and will play Champions League debutants Zenit St Petersburg and BATE Borisov of Belarus.