The stage in Istanbul is set for the Champions League group draw today

August 25 - The draw of 32 teams for the lucrative Champions League group stage takes place later today in Istanbul, host of this season's final with all sorts of tantalizing encounters in store.

Scottish giants Rangers, Europa League finalists last season, returned to the group stage for the first time in 12 years on Wednesday, upsetting PSV Eindhoven to join rivals Celtic in the draw

After being hit with financial problems and forced into liquidation, Rangers had to start over in the fourth tier of Scottish football in 2012.

Dinamo Zagreb also grabbed a place among the big boys after beating Norway's Bodo/Glimt in the final qualifying round. FC Copenhagen were also successful after a 0-0 draw against Turkish Trabzonspor which took a 2-1 aggregate victory.

Today's draw includes no less than 14 former European champions who have won 56 of the 67 European Cup or Champions League titles to date. Seven other teams are past beaten finalists.

The draw includes the still mighty trio of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, even though they are still jointly battling UEFA in court for the right to resurrect the much-maligned European Super League.

Ukrainians Shakhtar Donetsk will enter the draw two days after playing their first competitive game - the resumption of the new domestic season - since the Russian invasion in February.

Shakhtar will play their home games in Warsaw, neighboring Poland. "It will be difficult to match (Manchester) City, or Bayern or Liverpool. Maybe we will be lucky," said captain Taras Stepanenko.

Due to the World Cup in Qatar, the group stage starts early on September 6 and ends five weeks earlier than usual on November 2. Six rounds will be played in just nine weeks before a three-month break until the round of 16. begins February 14. The 32 teams share approximately €2 billion in prize money.

Pot 1: Real Madrid (Spain), Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany), Manchester City (England), AC Milan (Italy), Bayern Munich (Germany), Paris Saint-Germain (France), Porto (Portugal), Ajax (Netherlands).

Pot 2: Liverpool (England), Chelsea (England), Barcelona (Spain), Juventus (Italy), Atlético Madrid (Spain), Sevilla (Spain), Leipzig (Germany), Tottenham (England).

Pot 3: Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Salzburg (Austria), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), Inter Milan (Italy), Napoli (Italy), Benfica (Portugal), Sporting Lisbon (Portugal), Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)

Pot 4: Rangers (Scotland), Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia), Marseille (France), Copenhagen (Denmark), Club Brugge (Belgium), Celtic (Scotland), Viktoria Pilsen (Czech Republic), Maccabi Haifa (Israel) .

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