Panathinaikos will face Barcelona, Russian champions Rubin Kazan and FC Kobenhavn of Denmark in Group D of the 2010/11 Champions League.
Rubin shocked Europe when they won 2-1 at the Camp Nou in their debut campaign at this level, an impressive result they immediately followed up with a goalless draw in the return. Kobenhavn – featuring among the continent’s elite for the second time – will be hoping for a better outcome than the last time they met Panathinaikos, a 1-0 home loss in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup group stage.
Kobenhavn are also difficult opposition and a financially strong club who eliminated Rosenborg. Second spot will be decided between Panathinaikos and Rubin Kazan.
Panathinaikos coach Nikos Nioplias said “Our goal is to progress to the knockout stage, no matter what combination of results we need. It will be great for our morale to play well against Barcelona and get a positive result.
“It’s true there are no huge names in there. With Rubin we face a difficult trip that we undertook last year, while Panathinaikos are always a tough, hard-working team. Kobenhavn are new for us and as such we’ll have to discover what they can do. Wembley is a stadium that holds special memories for us and getting there and winning the UEFA Champions League is one of our main objectives this season.
“Once again a big club from Europe will come to Kazan – that’s a big joy for our fans. I don’t know Panathinaikos and Kobenhavn that well right now. We’ll have to study them thoroughly yet I have no doubt they’re of a high quality.”