European giants descend on Monaco for Champions League draw

The Continent's big boys that have set their sights on the prestigious trophy this term will find out who their opponents in the group stages will be on Thursday evening Aug 30, 2012 9:20:00 AMFollowing the
conclusion of the
Champions League
play-offs on
Wednesday evening,
all 32 teams that will take part in the
group stage of
European club
football's elite
competition are now
known, and they will be desperate to find
out who they will be pitted against during Thursday evening's draw
in Monaco. The draw, which is scheduled to start at
17:45CET, will feature an impressive 12 previous
winners of the competition, as well as three
teams making their debut at the highest level. All of the top seeded teams except Arsenal have
lifted the trophy on at least one occasion, and
Manchester United are even making a record
18th appearance in the 21st edition of the
Champions League. Meanwhile, Montpellier,
Nordsjaelland and Malaga are all set to make their bow in the tournament. Their status as rookies does not mean that
these teams go into the competition without
ambition, though, as was illustrated by
Boquerones winger Joaquin's words. "As for the group stage draw, we know that all
rivals will be tough but we have qualified and
are determined to enjoy the competition and go
as far as we can," the Spaniard remarked. Of the 32 teams that featured in last year's
edition of the competition, 20 have once again
managed to reach the group stages this term.