To kick off this year’s show, the Champions League draw was held today in Monaco. Awards for the previous season’s tournament, such as top player and coach, were presented in a glitzy event.

One of the 32 teams, Barcelona, was among those that learned their destiny. Group H has Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Royal Antwerp in addition to the Catalan team. Fans of Barça will likely see this draw as a huge positive. By finishing as a Pot 1 team, they avoided having to go off against the likes of Bayern Munich, PSG, and Manchester City.

Barça also lucked out with the Pot 3 squad in their group, avoiding potentially difficult opponents like Lazio, PSV, and AC Milan. The first round of games will begin on September 19 and 20, and continue on an irregular basis until the final group stage games on December 12 and 13.

Despite a disappointing season last year, Porto has gotten off to a flawless start this year, winning all three of their league games so far. Barcelona’s strongest opponent in a relatively easy group is a Portuguese team.

Xavi will go into the Champions League with a lot of self-doubt. The Barça icon has guided his beloved team to success throughout his tenure, but he has suffered mightily in Europe’s top flight. The Blaugrana cannot afford another departure at the group stage, and the supporters want nothing less than the best.