Brit teams get off lightly in UEFA Champions League draw

Britain's five Champions League sides received less than fearsome draws for the group stage of the competition last night.

Last season's beaten finalists Manchester United take on CSKA Moscow, Besiktas and Wolfsburg in Group B, while Liverpool were paired with Lyon, Fiorentina and Debrecen.

Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea will play Porto, Atletico Madrid and APOEL Nicosia and Arsenal face AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos and Standard Liege.

Scottish champions Rangers will play Sevilla, Stuttgart and Unirea Urziceni.

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon felt the draw had been kind to the Blues.

He said: "We're reasonably pleased with the draw. There is not too much travel in the group, and we've managed to avoid one of the big ones."

Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow said: "We're pretty happy with that.

"We have two very well-known European opponents, who will not bring us any surprises."

Asked if he anticipated a flurry of transfer activity by the Reds before the transfer deadline next Tuesday, he replied: "I wouldn't bank on it".

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said: ''These are difficult ties, especially the trips to Russia and Turkey.

"CSKA have developed strongly in the last few years, and games in Turkey are always difficult.

"We also know the quality that we're up against with Wolfsburg, with what they achieved in the Bundesliga last season."

United chief executive David Gill added: ''Overall we have got to be happy with it.''

United face long trips to Istanbul and Moscow but Gill saw no reason why that should impact on the Reds' Premier League title defence.

"You can get too psyched out by those sort of things," he said.

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis was in no mood to underestimate the challenge facing the Gunners.

"Some might look at it (Group H) and see it as an automatic pass but we don't see it like that," he said.

"We think it will be very tough. But we won't lose our focus."