The 2014-15 UEFA Champions League groups and fixtures were finalized on Thursday following a draw held in Monaco.
Champions League holder Real Madrid will jump start their title defense in Group B where they will compete against Liverpool, Basel and Ludogorets in the group stage, according to UEFA's official site.
Real Madrid, who won the title last season with a come-from-behind 4-1 win against domestic rival Atletico Madrid, will open their campaign against Basel on Sept. 16 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Spain.
On the other hand, the Liverpool Reds, who were the runners-up in the Barclays Premier League last season, will face Ludogorets in their first match on Sept. 16 at the Anfield.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers said that they are excited to play in the Champions League for the first time since 2010, and their return to the tournament became more special after being drawn with the Spanish powerhouse.
"To be back in it again, no matter who we were going to play, it was always going to be exciting," Rodgers said via Liverpool FC website. "But to have Real Madrid in your group, the champions last season, is going to be special."
Liverpool and Real Madrid will go up against each other on Oct. 22 at the Anfield and on Nov. 4 at the Bernabeu.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid, last season's runners-up, were drawn in Group A, one of the toughest groups as it features four domestic champions - Italian champions Juventus, Greek champions Olympiacos, Swedish champion Malmo and Spanish champions Atletico Madrid.
Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City were drawn into Group E together with German powerhouse Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow and AS Roma, while Chelsea will play against Schalke, Sporting and Maribor in Group G.
German club Borussia Dortmund, who finished second to Bayern Munich in the 2013 Champions League final, were drawn together with Arsenal, Galatasaray and Anderlecht in Group D. Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp is looking forward to facing Arsenal in the group stage.
"In Group D, we'll be meeting good old friends and a new faces for us," Klopp said on Thursday via ESPN FC. "I have never played at Anderlecht or Istanbul. We did not wish for any opponents ahead of the draw, and we'll take it as it comes. We certainly know Arsenal is the best of those three."
Below is the composition of each group for the 2014-15 Champions League:
Group A: Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Olympiacos, Malmo
Group B: Real Madrid, Basel, Liverpool, Ludogorets
Group C: Benfica, Zenit St Petersburg, Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco
Group D: Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Galatasaray, Anderlecht
Group E: Bayern Munich, Manchester City, CSKA Moscow, AS Roma
Group F: Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Ajax, APOEL
Group G: Chelsea, Schalke, Sporting, Maribor
Group H: Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Athletic Bilbao, BATE Borisov
The complete group stage schedule are available on the official Champions League website through this link.
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