Defending champion Manchester United will face British rival Celtic in the group stage of the Champions League after the draw was made on Thursday in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

United will also meet Villarreal and Aalborg in the 32-team phase, with the first round held on September 16-17.

United coach Alex Ferguson was relishing defending the trophy and wants points on the board straight away.

"That is a great challenge," Ferguson said. "The challenge is to make sure you get 10 points as quick as you can. I think we have the squad for it."

Celtic striker Scott McDonald was thrilled with drawing a defending champion for the second straight year.

"We always love to draw the champion of Europe as we did last year (with FC Barcelona)," McDonald said. "All of those things add up to good things and get us to the next round again. They're going to be fantastic games."

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger was worried about the travel schedule in Group G. His team faces long trips to Turkey, to play Fenerbahce, and to Ukraine, against Dynamo Kiev. Arsenal, the 2006 runner-up, also takes on FC Porto.

"Arsene's main issue will be the travel," Arsenal director Danny Fiszman said. "Kiev and Fenerbahce are long trips. That is the real issue for us."

Chelsea, which lost May's final on penalty kicks to the Red Devils, also has a relatively easy Group A, featuring AS Roma, which hosts May's final at the Stadio Olimpico, Bordeaux and newcomer CFR Cluj.

"Chelsea certainly has a leg up on the other teams in the group, but we have to count on the hard work that we have done in the past few years," Roma coach Luciano Spalletti said. "We are ready for this challenge."

Liverpool will meet Marseille for a second straight season, and the Reds' Spain star Fernando Torres will return to former club Atletico Madrid. Group D also features PSV Eindhoven.

"With Fernando and the other Spanish players, there will be huge, huge interest in that one," Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry said. "It's great. That's what makes the Champions League so exciting. It's fantastic."

Juventus has a tough return to the lucrative competition in Group H after a two-year absence. The Italians will have to overcome Real Madrid, UEFA Cup winner Zenit St Petersburg and Belarussian champion BATE Borisov.

New Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola will be pleased with Group C, which includes Sporting Lisbon, FC Basel and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho, looking to repeat his 2004 Champions League triumph with FC Porto, will have to negotiate Werder Bremen, Panathinaikos and Anorthosis Famagusta in Group B.

Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni will play former club Fiorentina in Group F, which also includes Lyon and Steaua Bucharest.

"Lyon is a tough nut to crack, Fiorentina has its appeal because of Luca Toni," Bayern Munich coach Juergen Klinsmann said.

Having won seven straight French titles, Lyon has made winning the Champions League for the first time the top priority - even though Lyon has never been beyond the quarterfinals.

"We will have to pick up points everywhere in the knowledge that no one is safe," Lyon coach Claude Puel said. "It's very open."

Source:Xinhua