Champions League draw: Fradi to face Barca, Juventus and Dinamo Kiev

By defeating the champions of Sweden (Djurgarden), Scotland (Celtic), Croatia (Dinamo Zagreb) and then Norway (Molde) in the qualifying stages, Ferencváros TC have reached the main group stage of the Champions League for the first time in 25 years. Aside from Fradi, the only other Hungarian club to have reached the same stage is Debrecen in 2009.

On Thursday afternoon, the men's Champions League group-stage draw was made in Geneva, Ferencváros being placed in the pot of fourth seeds according to UEFA's coefficient system. There are 32 teams remaining at this stage, all of which are divided into eight groups, with one club from each of the four pots of seeds in each group.

Ferencváros was drawn in Group G:

1. Juventus FC
2. FC Barcelona
3. FK Dinamo Kiev
4. Ferencváros TC

Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus have won the Champions League/European Cup twice (as well as reaching the final a further seven times) and the Italian league title 36 times including every one of the past nine seasons. not once before anyone in Serie A in the last nine years.

FC Barcelona finished second in the Spanish La Liga championship last season, but are a five-time Champions League and European Cup winner, a 26-time Spanish champion and a 30-time Spanish Cup winner, as well as possessing one of the best-ever footballers, Lionel Messi.

Dinamo Kiev is the most successful Ukrainian football club, winning the Ukrainian football championship 15 times and the Soviet Union league title 13 times, as well as the Ukrainian Cup 11 times and the Soviet Cup nine times. The team has also achieved numerous successes in Europe competition, having won the European Cup Winners' Cup twice and the UEFA Super Cup. Fradi head coach Serhiy Rebrov won nine championship titles as a Dinamo player and led the team to two league titles as a coach.

Elswewhere, Leipzig, with Hungarian internationals Péter Gulácsi and Willi Orban, will play PSG, Manchester United and İstanbul Başakşehir, while Dominik Szoboszlai's Red Bull Salzburg drew Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid and Lokomotiv Moscow in their Champions League group.

UEFA, meanwhile, has decided that 30% of the tribunes at the matches can be filled by local fans.

Key Champions League dates:

Group stage
Draw date: Thursday 1st October, 17:00 (Athens)
Match days:
October 20 and 21: Barcelona v Ferencváros, Oct 20
October 27 and 28: Ferencváros v Dinamo Kiev, Oct 28
November 3 and 4: Ferencváros v Juventus, Nov 4
November 24 and 25: Juventus v Ferencváros, Nov 24
December 1 and 2: Ferencváros v Barcelona, Dec 2
December 8 and 9: Dinamo Kiev v Ferencváros, Dec 8

All Ferencváros' matches will kick off at 21:00.

Round of 16:
Date of the draw: December 14.
Match days: February 16 and 17 and February 23 and 24 - first legs; March 9 and 10 and March 16 and 17 - second legs

Quarter-final
Date of the draw: March 19 (the branch plan will be created, so there will be no more draws)
Match days: April 6 and 7; April 13 and 14

Semi-final
Date of the draw: March 19.
Match days: April 27 and 28; May 4 and 5

Final
May 29, 2021, Ataturk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul (Turkey)