Odion Ighalo will face compatriot Azubuike Okechukwu in the group stage of this season’s UEFA Champions League after Manchester United and Istanbul Basaksehir were paired in Group H in Friday’s draws in Geneva.

United are returning to Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since 2018 and will also come up against last season’s runners up Paris St-Germain who they knocked out in the last 16 in 2018-19.

Okechukwu is currently working his way to full fitness from a lengthy injury layoff while Ighalo has already featured twice for United this season although his loan deal expires in January.

Elsewhere, Premier League champions Liverpool were placed in a group containing Ajax, Atalanta and Danish side Midtjylland.

Chelsea will play Europa League winners Sevilla, Krasnodar and debutants Rennes.

Manchester City are in Group D with Porto, Olympiakos and Marseille.

Meanwhile Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are set to face each other after Juventus and Barcelona were drawn in Group G.

This year’s group stage begins on Tuesday, 20 October while the final is on Saturday, 29 May at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul.

The draw in full

Group A: Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg, Lokomotiv Moscow

Group B: Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Borussia Monchengladbach

Group C: Porto, Man City, Olympiakos, Marseille

Group D: Liverpool, Ajax, Atalanta, Midtjylland

Group E: Sevilla, Chelsea, Krasnodar, Rennes

Group F: Zenit St Petersburg, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio, Club Bruges

Group G: Juventus, Barcelona, Dynamo Kiev, Ferencvaros

Group H: Paris St-Germain, Man Utd, RB Leipzig, Istanbul