"UEFA Champions League 2011/2012. Group stage"

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This article contains information about the group stage of the UEFA Champions League 2011/12.

The format of the tournament has not changed compared to the previous draw. 32 clubs participate in the group stage: 22 teams that received automatic qualification, and 10 winners of the fourth qualifying round (five from the championship and five from the non-champion qualification).

The clubs are divided into 8 groups of 4 teams each. The teams that took the first two places in the group are in the playoffs. The third-placed teams move to the Europa League for the 1/16 finals.

Geography of the tournament
In the group stage of the UEFA Champions League 2011/2012, the national leagues of the following countries were represented:
England, Spain - 4 teams each
Germany, Italy, France – 3 each,
Portugal, Russia - each 2,
Belarus, Belgium, Greece, Cyprus, Netherlands, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, Croatia, Czech Republic, Switzerland — 1 each.

The draw
The Champions League group stage draw was held on August 25, 2011 in Monaco. Before the draw, 32 teams were split into 4 baskets according to their odds at the end of the 2010/2011 season.
As a result of the draw, 8 groups of 4 teams were formed - 1 team from each basket. According to the rules of the draw, teams from one country could not be divided into one group. Moreover, teams from countries from which more than one member has entered the group stage should be divided equally between groups A-D (so-called “red” groups) and groups E-H (“blue” groups) as they play on different days.

Originally, Turkey was supposed to represent the champion of Turkey Fenerbahce, but the Turkish Federation withdrew his participation in the tournament due to the scandal with match-fixing on August 24, that is, the day before the draw of the tournament.
UEFA has urgently replaced the club with the second prize-winner of the Turkish championship “Trabzonspor”, previously eliminated from the tournament at the stage of the third qualifying round.

Groups
Start times indicated by CET/CEST

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Notes

Group stage
Group stages of the UEFA Champions League