Champions League draw simulated as Manchester United in group of death and City facing club they wanted to avoid

The Champions League draw takes place on Thursday evening with holders Man City and the returning Manchester United among the heavyweights awaiting their fate.

City won the tournament last season as part of their historic treble when they beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the final. United are back in Europe's elite competition after a year's absence after Erik ten Hag steered the Reds to third place in the Premier League in his debut campaign at Old Trafford.

United are in pot two for the draw, meaning they cannot face Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Porto, RB Leipzig, Inter Milan or Arsenal. Clubs from the same country cannot be drawn against each other meaning there will be no Manchester derby in the group stage.

City are in pot one alongside Barcelona, Bayern Munich, PSG, Sevilla, Napoli, Benfica and Feyenoord. Here's how our simulated draw panned out, with both Manchester clubs facing treacherous paths to the knockout stage.

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Group A: Barcelona, Porto, Shakhtar, Galatasaray.

Group B: PSG, MANCHESTER UNITED, AC Milan, Real Sociedad

Not an easy task for United. The Champions League title might have eluded the French champions but PSG are regulars in the latter stages of the competition and in Kylian Mbappe have one of the world's best players. AC Milan sit top of Serie A and have started the season in impressive style, while Real Sociedad won at Old Trafford in the Europa League last season.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, Young Boys

Group D: Napoli, Leipzig, Braga, Antwerp

Group E: MANCHESTER CITY, Real Madrid, Lazio, Lens

Of all the teams City will have wanted to avoid, Madrid will have been top of the list. The