Montecarlo – Uefa Champions League draw are done. For England side came some good news: Arsenal would face Marseille, OIimpiakos and Borussia Dortmund with the star Zidan in a definitely accessible pool.

Same deal for Manchester United (in Group C with Benfica, FC Basilea and Otelul Galati) and Chelsea that in Group E who would have some problems only with Valencia. Being top seed in  Champions League 2012 is a very good thing and this lucky draw had probably smoothed the way.

Manchester City is in a different situation: put in Group A “the Iron Group ” with Bayer Munchen, Villareal of Giuseppe Rossi and Napoli who has a great forward team with Hamsik, Cavani, Lavezzi would have to show all his best skills and shape to win the stage. The good thing is that teams like Barcelona, Milan, Lion and CSKA Moscow are far away and qualification isn’t impossible considering also the good shape of all English teams. 

Champions League Draw 2011-12 

Group A: Bayern Monaco, Villarreal, Manchester City, Napoli
(Best Odds for Next Round Qualification: Manchester City 2.20, Bayern 2.62, Napoli 7.00, Villarreal 8.50)

Group B: Inter, CSKA Mosca, Lille, Trabzonspor
(Best Odds for Next Round Qualification: Inter 1.50, CSKA Mosca 5.00, Lille 6.50, Trabzonspor 15.00)

Group C: Manchester United, Benfica, FC Basilea, Otelul Galati
(Best Odds for Next Round Qualification: Manchester United 1.25, Benfica 4.33, Basel 26.00, Otelul Galati 41.00)

Group D: Real Madrid, Lione, Ajax, Dinamo Zagabria
(Best Odds for Next Round Qualification: Real Madrid 1.30, Lyon 6.50, Ajax 8.50, Dinamo Zagreb 21.00)

Group E: Chelsea, Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen, Genk
(Best Odds for Next Round Qualification: Chelsea 1.44, Valencia 5.00, Bayer Leverkusen 6.50, Genk 26.00)

Group F: Arsenal, Marsiglia, Olympiacos, Borussia Dortmund
(Best Odds for Next Round Qualification: Arsenal 2.10, Borussia Dortmund 2.75, Marseille 6.50, Olympiakos 11.00)

Group G: FC Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit, APOEL Nicosia
(Best Odds for Next Round Qualification: FC Porto 2.00, Shakhtar 3.00, Zenit 5.00, Apoel 19.00)

Group H: Barcellona, AC Milan, BATE Borisov, Vitoria Plzen
(Best Odds for Next Round Qualification: Barcellona 1.25, AC Milan 4.33, BATE 34.00, Viktoria 41.00)

Champions League Fixtures 2011-2012

September

13/14 September 2011 - Champions League MD1
27/28 September 2011 - Champions League MD2

October

18/19 October 2011 - Champions League MD3

November

1/2 November 2011 - Champions League MD4
22/23 November 2011 - Champions League MD5

December

6/7 December 2011 - Champions League MD6
16 December 2011 – Draw of Champions League Qualifying Heats

February 2012

14/15 February 2012 - Champions League Qualifying Heats First Leg 
21/22 February 2012 - Champions League Qualifying Heats First Leg

March

6/7 March 2012 - Champions League Qualifying Heats Return Match
13/14 March 2012 - Champions League Qualifying Heats Return Match
27/28 March 2012 - Champions League Quarterfinals First Leg

April

3/4 April 2012 - Champions League Quarterfinals Return Match
17/18 April 2012 - Champions League Semifinals First Leg
24/25 April 2012 - Champions League Semifinals Return Match

May

19 May 2012 - Champions League Final at Munich

The Commons media committee had issued summonses after the men initially declined to appear next week.

News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks had agreed to attend.

Meanwhile, Neil Wallis, ex-News of the World executive editor, was arrested on Thursday morning on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications.

Mr Wallis, also a former member of the Editors' Code of Practice Committee, is the ninth person to have been arrested since the Metropolitan Police launched a fresh phone-hacking investigation in January.