Inter Milan have a tricky start to the defence of their Champions League title when they face Germany's Werder Bremen, Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur and Dutch hopes FC Twente in the group stage starting next month, dpa reported.
Werder and Tottenham, who came through the qualifying play-offs, will not be easy opponents for Inter, now under former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez following Jose Mourinho's departure to Real Madrid.
Neither can Dutch side FC Twente be underestimated in an attractive Group A. Twente won the Eredivisie last season under Steve McClaren, who has since moved to Wolfsburg to be succeeded in Enschede by the Belgian Michel Preud'homme.
Another Italian-German duel takes place in Group E where last season's losing finalists Bayern Munich have drawn Roma, along with Swiss side Basel - coached by former Bayern player Thorsten Fink - and Romanian champions Cluj.
Twenty European Cup or Champions League titles are gathered in Group G where heavyweights Real Madrid and AC Milan clash.
Nine-time European champions Real - with Mourinho out for a third Champions League title following his triumphs with Porto and Inter - will do battle with seven-time winners Milan in a group which also comprises four-time European champions Ajax and French hopes Auxerre.
The English trio who qualified automatically for the group stage will be favourites to progress from their groups.
Premier League champions Chelsea meet Olympique Marseille, Spartak Moscow and Slovakia's MK Zilina in Group F.
Rivals Manchester United have an all-British duel against Scotland's Glasgow Rangers, as well as facing Valencia and Turkish champions Bursaspor in Group C.
Arsenal are in Group H with Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk, Portugal's SC Braga and Partizan Belgrade
Spanish champions Barcelona meanwhile appear to have one of the easiest groups on paper, with games against Greek hopes Panathinaikos, FC Copenhagen and Russians Rubin Kazan in Group D.
Of the other seeded sides, France's Lyon are in Group B with Benfica, Germany's Schalke 04 and Hapoel Tel Aviv.
The first matches are on September 14/15. The top two teams in each group go through to the first knock-out stage which begins in February. The final will be at London's Wembley Stadium on May 28.