2003–04 UEFA Champions League group stage

Teams

The 32 teams were divided into four pots. Pot 1 comprised the previous year's title holders Milan and the top seven clubs in the team ranking. Pot 2 contained the following eight clubs in the rankings and likewise for Pots 3 and 4. Each group contained one team from each pot. A team's seeding was determined by the UEFA coefficients.

Clubs from the same association were paired up to split the matchdays between Tuesday and Wednesday. Clubs with the same pairing letter would play on different days, ensuring that teams from the same city (e.g. Milan and Internazionale, who also share a stadium) did not play on the same day.

Notes

Format

During the group stage, each team plays the other three teams in their group twice (home and away or at an alternative venue). The top two teams with the most points or who meet the tie-break criteria progress to the first knockout round. The third placed side entered the UEFA Cup in 2004.

Tiebreakers

Based on paragraph 4.05 in the UEFA regulations for the current season, if two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied to determine the rankings:

1. higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question;
2. superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question;
3. higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches played among the teams in question;
4. superior goal difference from all group matches played;
5. higher number of goals scored in all group matches played;
6. higher number of coefficient points accumulated by the club in question, as well as its association, over the previous five seasons.

Groups

Times are CET/CEST, as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

Group A

• Juninho
• Makaay
• Thompson

• Miller
• Sutton
• Mornar
• Santa Cruz

• Dindane
• Luyindula
• Makaay

• Larsson
• Miller
• Sutton
• Dindane
• Makaay
• Juninho
• Élber

• Tihinen

• Élber
• Juninho
• Hartson
• Sutton
• Makaay

Group B

• Rincón
• Cruz
• Van der Meyde
• Martins

• Adani
• Vieri
• Fedorov

• Loskov
• Ashvetia
• Khokhlov
• Shatskikh
• Belkevich
• Henry

• Recoba
• Loskov
• Cole

• Buznikin
• Ignashevitch
• Parks
• Belkevich
• Shatskikh
• Vieri
• Henry
• Ljungberg
• Edu
• Pires

• Rincón
• Adani
• Pires
• Ljungberg

Group C

• Tsiartas
• Pandiani
• Bouma
• Morientes
• Cissé

• Giuly
• Morientes
• Pršo
• Sergio
• Pandiani

• Tristán
• Lucius

• Rothen
• Giuly
• Pršo
• Plašil
• Cissé
• Tristán
• Scaloni
• Bouma
• Robben

• Héctor
• Valerón
• Luque
• Morientes
• Vennegoor of Hesselink

• De Jong
• Robben
• Luque
• Pandiani

Group D

• Del Piero
• Şükür
• Kovačević

• Stoltidis
• Nedvěd
• Şükür
• Kovačević
• Alonso

• Cihan
• Trezeguet
• Di Vaio
• Tudor
• De Pedro

• Mavrogenidis
• Castillo
• Giovanni

• Stoltidis
• Castillo
• Gabilondo
• Schürrer
• Şükür

• Trezeguet
• Miccoli
• Maresca
• Di Vaio
• Del Piero
• Zalayeta
• De Paula
• Şükür

Group E

• Nerlinger
• Løvenkrands
• Kurányi
• Silvestre
• Fortune
• Solskjær
• Butt
• Djemba-Djemba

• Konstantinidis
• Emerson
• Szabics
• Kurányi
• Van Nistelrooy

• Szabics
• Soldo
• P. Neville

• Konstantinou
• Fyssas
• Kurányi
• Hinkel
• Forlán
• Van Nistelrooy

• Wenzel
• Forlán

• Mols
• Žutautas
• Basinas
• Konstantinou
• Van Nistelrooy
• Giggs

Group F

• Roberto Carlos
• Ronaldo
• Figo
• Drogba
• Van Buyten
• Delibašić
• Costinha

• Costinha
• Helguera
• Solari
• Zidane
• Drogba

• Drogba
• Marlet
• Maniche
• Derlei
• Alenichev
• Raúl

• Alenichev

• Mido
• Beckham
• Ronaldo
• McCarthy
• Delibašić

• Solari
• Derlei
• Delibašić
• Mido

Group G

• Gallas
• Stam
• Fiore

• Inzaghi
• Sionko
• Poborský
• Sergen

• Lampard
• Mutu
• Inzaghi
• Zelenka
• Poborský
• Pancu

• Crespo
• Guðjohnsen
• Duff
• Lampard
• Ronaldo Guiaro

• Muzzi
• Pancu

• Kincl
• Hasselbaink
• Bridge

Group H

• Inzaghi
• Juanfran
• Juanfran

• Sonck

• Ibrahimović
• Mendoza

• Luccin
• Milošević
• Vágner
• Sonck
• Van der Vaart
• Kaká

• Shevchenko
• Mostovoi
• Lange

• Kaká
• Jesuli
• Ignacio
• Lange
• Sæternes
• Sonck

Notes

References

References

1. (28 August 2003). "Result of the draw: Group Stage". [[UEFA]].
2. (28 August 2003). "Variety packed into seeding groups". UEFA.
3. "UEFA Club Ranking 2003". Bert Kassies.
4. (25 November 2003). "Turkey ties moved abroad". [[UEFA]].
5. (27 November 2003). "Dortmund date for Galatasaray". [[UEFA]].
6. (27 November 2003). "Neutral venue for Galatasaray SK – Juventus". [[UEFA]].
7. (2 December 2003). "Venue agreed for Besiktas-Chelsea". [[UEFA]].
8. (2 December 2003). "Besiktas JK – Chelsea FC to be played in Gelsenkirchen". [[UEFA]].