Chelsea being paired with Liverpool was the highlight of the draw for the Champions League group stages.
But, as Reds skipper Steven Gerrard warned at the time, it would be dangerous to take their other opponents lightly.
BBC Sport runs the rule over the teams standing in the way of the UK's five representatives.
GROUP B (ARSENAL)
Ajax (Netherlands)
Stadium: Amsterdam Arena, capacity 51,000
Coach: Danny Blind
Danger man: Midfielder Nigel de Jong
Past record: Champions three years running from 1970 and claimed fourth title in 1995.
Verdict: The club's alumni are as impressive as you can get: Cruyff, Neeskens, Kroll, Van Basten and more recently Bergkamp, the de Boers, Davids and Kluivert. But 10 years after their last triumph, the Dutch are not the masters they were. They should still progress along with the Gunners.
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Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)
Stadium: Letna, capacity 20,111
Coach: Jaroslav Hrebik
Danger man: Winger Karel Poborsky
Past record: Quarter-finalists in 1966, 1968 and 1985
Verdict: The best side in the Czech Republic are likely to be outgunned by Ajax and Arsenal and finish third in the group, with the consolation of a place in the Uefa Cup.
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FC Thun (Switzerland)
Stadium: Wankdorf (Bern), capacity 32,000. Thun's own Lachen stadium does not meet Champions League criteria.
Coach: Urs Schonenberger.
Danger man: Striker Mauro Lustrinelli
Past record: First appearance in group phase
Verdict: The Swiss minnows, from a town with a population just over 40,000, have achieved a minor miracle just to get to the group stage. But they cannot be dismissed completely by the other three, having already seen off Dynamo Kiev and Malmo.
GROUP D (MAN UTD)
Benfica (Portugal)
Stadium: Estadio da Luz, capacity 65,000
Coach: Ronald Koeman
Danger man: Striker Nuno Gomes
Past record: Winners in 1960 and 1961
Verdict: They won their first Portuguese league title in 11 years last season, but remain a shadow of the great force of the 1960s. Ronald Koeman is the new coach after Giovanni Trapattoni's summer departure and the Uefa Cup could be their destination.
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Lille (France)
Stadium: Stade de France (Paris), capacity 80,000. Uefa has ruled that their Grimonprez-Jooris arena is unsuitable.
Coach: Claude Puel
Danger man: Striker Matt Moussilou
Past record: Group phase 2001/2
Verdict: After winning the French title twice in its early days, they have had a lean time until the last five years, when they gave United a tough time in their two group games, and finished second in Ligue 1 last season. Lille reached the Uefa Cup quarter-finals last season but they look likely to miss out on playing in the competition this year.
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Villareal (Spain)
Stadium: El Madrigal, capacity23,000
Coach: Manuel Luis Pellegrini
Danger man: Midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme
Past record: First appearance in group phase
Verdict: Helped through by a strange refereeing decision by Pierluigi Collina against Everton, the Spaniards are nonetheless good enough to cause plenty of problems. They face a battle with Benfica to see who goes through with United.
GROUP G (CHELSEA & LIVERPOOL)
Anderlecht (Belgium)
Stadium: Constant Vanden Stock, capacity 21,619
Coach: Frank Vercauteren
Danger man: Striker Serhat Akin
Past record: Semi-finals 1982 and 1986
Verdict: Dominant at home and past winners of the Uefa and Cup Winners Cups, Anderlecht have a fine pedigree but have always fallen short when it comes to the crunch in the top competition. In what is likely to be known as the Group of Death, they face a bitter battle with Betis for third place and a spot in the Uefa Cup.
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Real Betis (Spain)
Stadium: Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, capacity 55,500
Coach: Lorenzo Serra Ferrer
Danger man: Winger Joaquin
Past record: First appearance in group phase
Verdict: Things have calmed down since the world-record signing of Denilson - who himself has fallen from grace - in 1998, but they won the King's Cup last year and in Joaquin they have a class act.
GROUP H (RANGERS)
Artmedia Bratislava (Slovakia)
Stadium: Tehelne Pole (home of Slovan Bratislava), capacity 30,087. Their own Petrzalka stadium does not meet Uefa requirements.
Coach: Vladimir Weiss
Danger man: Striker Juraj Halenar
Past record: First appearance in group phase
Verdict: Stunning victories over Celtic and Partizan Belgrade show Rangers cannot take anything for granted and the Slovaks will consider third place in a tough group a realistic possibility.
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Inter Milan (Italy)
Stadium: San Siro, capacity 82,955
Coach: Roberto Mancini
Danger man: Striker Adriano
Past record:Winners in 1963 and 1964
Verdict: Went out to city rivals AC last season in the quarter-finals and do not look like they have enough to go all the way this year but, with a player of Adriano's quality in their ranks, they should top the group.
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FC Porto (Portugal)
Stadium: Estadio do Dragao, capacity 52,000
Coach: Co Adriaanse
Danger man: Striker Benni McCarthy
Past record: Winners in 1987, 2004
Verdict: Life after Jose Mourinho has not been as easy. But plenty of the 2004 protagonists still remain, particularly McCarthy, and Rangers have their work cut out to finish second in the group.
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