The draw of the group stage of the 2018/19 edition of the Champions League, held this Thursday afternoon, in Monaco, determined that FC Porto will face Lokomotiv Moscow, from Russia, Schalke, from Germany, and Galatasaray, from Turkey. The four clubs are in Group D of the most prestigious European club competition, with the Dragons being record holders in terms of participations (23), next to Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Lokomotiv is the current Russian champion and never faced FC Porto in European competitions. The squad led by Yuri Semin includes two Portuguese international players: midfielder Manuel Fernandes and striker Éder, who scored the goal that allowed the team to win its third championship title in history, adding to the seven Russian Cups.

Schalke 04 is the only opponent of the three that has faced the Dragons in official matches, and the last time was exactly ten years ago, in the Round of 16 of the Champions League. The club is led by German Italian coach Domenico Tedesco, who led the royal blues to the second place in the Bundesleague, and plays in the stadium where, in 2004, FC Porto became European champion for the second time in its history, with a victory over Monaco, by 3-0.

The Turkish champions will be facing the blue and whites for the second consecutive season. In 2017/18, Besiktas was the champion, but now it’s Galatasaray, led by Fatih Terim, who, on his fourth time at the club, led it to the victory over the 21st title of national champion. In the squad, the Turkish lions count on two Brazilian players that are well-known by the blue and white fans, central defender Maicon and midfielder Fernando.

Group Stage of the 2018/19 Champions League

Group D: Lokomotiv Moscovo (Russia), FC PORTO (Portugal), Schalke 04 (Germany), Galatasaray (Turkey)

Group A: Atlético Madrid (Spain), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Monaco (France), Club Brugge (Belgium)

Group B: Barcelona (Spain), Tottenham (England), PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), Inter (Italy)

Group C: Paris Saint-Germain (France), Napoli (Italy), Liverpool (England), Red Star (Serbia)

Group E: Bayern (Germany), Benfica (Portugal), Ajax (Netherlands), AEK Atenas (Greece)

Group F: Manchester City (England), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), Lyon (France), Hoffenheim (Germany)

Group G: Real Madrid (Spain), Rome (Italy), CSKA Moscow (Russia), Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic)

Group H: Juventus (Italy), Manchester United (England), Valencia (Spain), Young Boys (Switzerland)