United set for stormy Roma return

A Manchester United´s fan clashing with police the April 2007 European Champions League quarter final second leg football match against AS Roma in Manchester. Two-time winners Manchester United will face a stormy Champions League return to Roma in this year´s competition.

      MONACO (AFP) - Two-time winners Manchester United will face a stormy Champions League return to Roma, where fans were stabbed and baton-charged in a controversial clash last season, in this year's competition.

      United were placed in Group F when the draw was made here on Thursday along with the Italians as well as Sporting Lisbon and Dynamo Kiev.

      Liverpool, the five-time winners, are in Group A with 2004 champions Porto, Marseille and Besiktas, while Chelsea are in Group B with Valencia, whom they beat in the quarter-finals last year, Schalke 04 and Rosenborg.

      Defending champions AC Milan, who beat Liverpool in last year's final, are in Group D with Benfica, Celtic and Shakhtar Donetsk.

      England's fourth representatives Arsenal are in a relatively comfortable Group H with Sevilla or AEK Athens, who have yet to complete their qualifying tie, Steaua Bucharest and Slavia Prague.

      But the most contentious tie will pit English champions United against Roma, a match which will bring back bitter memories of last year's quarter-final.

      United lost the first leg 2-1 in the Italian capital but the match was overshadowed when several United fans needed hospital treatment after being stabbed while Italian police baton-charged the visiting supporters during the first half.

      Paul Scholes was red-carded to add to the English side's troubles.

      In the return leg, ugly pre-match clashes between police and Roma fans marred United's stunning 7-1 victory at Old Trafford.

      The draw also threw up a return to Sporting Lisbon for United's Portuguese internationals Ronaldo and Nani, both of where signed from the Lisbon side.

      Liverpool's clash with Marseille will see them meet up with former striker Djibril Cisse and midfielder Bolo Zenden who left Anfield in the summer.

      "We'll catch up with a couple of old boys in Djibril and Bolo at Marseille and of course we've got one or two happy memories of Istanbul so we'll take it," said Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry whose club won the title in Istanbul in 2005 with their famous win over AC Milan.

      "We've proved in the past we can beat anybody on our day. We've won the competition and got to the final last year."

      Rangers have a tough assignment in Group E where 2006 champions Barcelona, six-time French champions Lyon and German champions Stuttgart await.

      Andrew Dickson, Rangers' head of football administration, said: "It's not particularly easy but it's wonderful to be there. I don't think it could be any tougher but it was always going to hard."

      Stuttgart coach Armin Veh says his side will be looking to cause a few upsets.

      "It was always clear that we would get a difficult group," said Veh.

      "But we want to sell ourselves as much as possible and after winning the German title gave us an automatic passage into the group stages, we aren't just there to make up the numbers."

      Arsenal, the beaten finalists in 2006, have never met any of their Group H opponents before and must wait for Sevilla and AEK to complete their qualifying tie, the second leg of which was postponed this week because of the death of Sevilla defender Antonio Puerta.

      "The Champions League is a very challenging competition, you might not have heard of some of the teams but they give you tough matches," said Arsenal managing director Keith Edelman.

      Celtic were knocked out of the tournament last season by AC Milan losing 1-0 on aggregate in a tight second round tie.

      Celtic chairman Brian Quinn said: "It's of paramount importance that we are in the Champions League. It gives the fans the feeling they belong in the top level."

      Chelsea beat Valencia last season with a late winner from Michael Essien in the Spanish city before the Londoners went out in the semi-finals to Liverpool.

      "We have been semi-finalists three times in the last four years," said Chief executive Peter Kenyon. "It is the elusive competition for us when you look at our record. But there is a big determination fuelled by a squad we have strengthened."

      Group A

      Liverpool (ENG)

      Porto (POR)

      Marseille (FRA)

      Besiktas (TUR)

      Group B

      Chelsea (ENG)

      Valencia (ESP)

      Schalke 04 (GER)

      Rosenborg (NOR)

      Group C

      Real Madrid (ESP)

      Werder Bremen (GER)

      Lazio (ITA)

      Olympiakos (GRE)

      Group D

      AC Milan (ITA)

      Benfica (POR)

      Celtic (SCO)

      Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)

      Group E

      Barcelona (ESP)

      Lyon (FRA)

      Stuttgart (GER)

      Rangers (SCO)

      Group F

      Man Utd (ENG)

      Roma (ITA)

      Sporting Lisbon (POR)

      Dynamo Kiev (UKR)

      Group G

      Inter Milan (ITA)

      PSV Eindhoven (NED)

      CSKA Moscow (RUS)

      Fenerbache (TUR)

      Group H

      Arsenal

      Sevilla (ESP) or AEK Athens (GRE)

      Steaua Bucharest (ROM)

      Slavia Prague (CZE)