P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }

Top clubs from both countries are set to clash in the group stage, with the first match days on September 16th and 17th bringing matches between Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal (Group D), Bayern Munich and Manchester City (Group E) and Chelsea and Schalke (Group G).

The last pairing already looks set to be hotly contested.

“We still have a score to settle with Chelsea,” said Schalke sporting director Horst Heldt. “We lost both matches to them last season.”

The Bavarians expressed their respect for the winners of this year's Capital One Cup, who they will face in Group E. The Mancunians are well known to Bayern after the two teams faced each other in last years' group stage.

“It's not an easy group, we have got three very good teams. One of them is Manchester City, the English champions,” said Bayern captain Philipp Lahm.

“Especially the away matches will be tough tasks.”

And Dortmund will face Arsenal for the third time in the last four years.

Captain Mats Hummels, Roman Weidenfeller, Kevin Großkreutz and Erik Durm will find themselves eye to eye with their World Cup-winning comrades in red shirts Mesut Özil,  Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski.

The North Rhine-Westphalian team were confident about their chances of making it through.

"We expect it of ourselves to get through [the group stage]," said Hummels.

"This seems to me to be a very balanced group that promises a lot of excitement," Dortmund sport director Michael Zorc said.