Champions League Draw Welcomes Manchester United Back with Open Arms

The draw for the group stages of this season's Champions League appears to have been kind to Manchester United. Of course, many football fans are reluctant to tempt fate with grandiose statements about games yet to come. The game has a way of humbling those who make them.

However, assuming United were to get one of the Pot One teams from whom they had bought a star player in the summer, PSV Eindhoven was considerably preferable to Bayern Munich. It is Arsenal who face the German giants, where United have been drawn against a side who, on paper, represent much less of a challenge.

Of course, the draw giveth and the draw taketh away. If PSV were close to first choice from Pot One, last season's German cup winners and Bundesliga runners-up Wolfsburg were definitely the team you would want to avoid from Pot Four.

The travel to, say, Astana of Kazakhstan would have been a lot more onerous, but the games would have been against much less testing opposition. Although United fans may now be less opposed to Manchester City's reported attempts to purchase Kevin de Bruyne, per David Conn in the Guardian, than they would otherwise have been.

CSKA Moscow were the team out of Pot Three, and represent something around par in terms of difficulty.

An epic away adventure for those fans prepared to brave the trip will surely bring back memories of United's finest 21st century moment. Sadly, CSKA do not play at the Luzhniki Stadium, but for those lucky enough to have been in Moscow in 2008, it will be a trip down memory lane.

As for the football itself, CSKA finished runners-up by seven points in last season's Russian Premier League, but have got off to a flying start this season, winning six of six games, conceding just two goals in the process.

The Red Devils will hope their opponents form has dipped by the time the two sides meet in October.

United's first opponents are PSV. One of the great and the good of Dutch football, they won the league last season. Memphis Depay was an extremely important part of that side—their leading scorer, in fact. They have also lost Georginio Wijnaldum, who managed a significant 14 goals.

They have so far held on to last season's leading assist-maker Jetro Willems and their 20-goal striker Luuk de Jong, but Memphis and Wijnaldum are a big loss.

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United will have to approach the game professionally, and cannot afford any complacency, but PSV are nonetheless a much preferable opponent to Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus or Paris Saint-Germain, for example—all possible alternatives.

The overwhelming feeling when considering the teams United are set to face is one of real excitement about being back at the top table of European competition.

The roar of the Stretford End as Nemanja Vidic scored against Bayern at Old Trafford in the first leg of the quarter-final in 2014 and Patrice Evra's glorious rocket in the second leg of that tie both seem like a lifetime ago. So much has changed at United since then, not least that both those men have left the club.

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After one season—which felt like more—in the wilderness, United are back, and have been handed a group that will provide plenty of challenge, but should hold no fears for Louis van Gaal's men. Thoughts now turn to potential qualification.

However, before that comes the joy of hearing the Champions League anthem ringing around Old Trafford. Before that comes the joy of seeing football played under the floodlights once again. Before that comes adventure and camaraderie for the hardy bunch who travel with the club.

Whatever the future holds, those things are worth savouring.

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It looks like United have got a relatively favourable draw. There is more potential excitement on the horizon, and also, of course, potential disappointment. Such is the football fans' lot.

For now, though, for United supporters, it is just really good to have Champions League football back. We have missed it.

All advanced statistics per WhoScored.com