Bayern Munich to face Barcelona, Inter Milan after Champions League group stage draw

By Ben Morse, CNN

Updated 1728 GMT (0128 HKT) August 25, 2022

A general view of the Champions League trophy ahead of the final between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Stade de France on May 28, 2022.

(CNN)Bayern Munich will face Barcelona and Inter Milan in this season's Champions League group stage after the draw took place on Thursday in Istanbul.

It will see Barcelona's new summer signing, Robert Lewandowski, face his old team, for whom he scored 344 goals in 375 appearances, second most for the club behind Gerd Müller, including 50 goals in 46 games last season.The two behemoths of European football were drawn into Group C alongside fellow giants Inter Milan and Czech champions Viktoria Plzeň.After a disappointing season last year — failing to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time in 17 years — Barcelona will be aiming to get back to the final stages at the first time of asking. Armed with a whole host of new signings, Barca face quite the task to qualify though against German champions Bayern, 2020-21 Italian champions Inter Milan and reigning Czech champions Viktoria Plzeň. Read MoreElsewhere, reigning Champions League winners Real Madrid was drawn into Group F alongside RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic. Real won its 14th Champions League title in Paris last season, beating Liverpool 1-0.Ukrainian side Shakhtar began its club season on Tuesday, as the Ukrainian Premier League started again after Russia's invasion of the country. Also, new Manchester City striker, Erling Haaland, will travel to face his old club, Borussia Dortmund, in the group stage.Haaland and City were drawn against Dortmund, Sevilla and Copenhagen, meaning after scoring 85 goals in 88 appearances in the yellow