When
is the Champions League group stage draw and who could the English sides
face?
European's elite will learn their Champions League group fates when the draw
is made in Monaco on Thursday, with Manchester United and Celtic hoping to
bolster the British brigade by emerging victorious from their play-off ties.
Ahead of the draw, which will be shown live on Sky Sports News HQ and
covered on the Sky Sports website and Sky Sports' mobile apps, we answer the
key questions.
When and where is the draw?
The draw for the Champions League group stage will take place at 4.45pm UK
time on Thursday 27 August in Monaco.
Who is in the draw?
32 teams will eventually qualify for the main draw and they are placed into
eight groups of four.
For the first time Pot 1 will be made up of the holders and the champions of
the top seven associations: Spain, England, Germany, Italy, Portugal, France
and Russia after changes to the regulations.
The eighth Pot 1 spot has been given to PSV Eindhoven, champions of the
eighth-placed nation, Holland.
Teams from the same league cannot play each other, with the exact draw
procedure to be confirmed before the ceremony.
Who is seeded in which pot?
Manchester United will join Manchester City and Arsenal in Pot 2 in the
Champions League group stage draw should they beat Club Brugge in their
qualification play-off on Wednesday. And if Celtic can navigate their way
past Malmo in their play-off, they are certain to be in Pot 4.
UEFA have confirmed that Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and FC Porto will
also be in Pot 2.
Who can Chelsea face?
Premier League champions Chelsea will be in Pot 1, but with Pot 2 likely to
contain all three English teams - Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester
United (should they qualify) - they are likely to face either Real Madrid,
Atletico Madrid or FC Porto.
Who can Arsenal face?
The Gunners will face one domestic champion from a list of Barcelona, Bayern
Munich, Juventus, Benfica, Paris-Saint Germain, Zenit St Petersburg and PSV
Eindhoven.
Who can Manchester City face?
City have the same possible opponents as Arsenal although will be required
to improve on their low coefficient if they are to remain in Pot 2 next
season. This will be City's fifth appearance in the competition and they
will be aiming to progress further than the last 16 for the first time.
Who can Manchester United face?
Should United successfully overcome Club Brugge in their play-off clash on
Wednesday, they will almost certainly share Pot 2 with Arsenal, City, Real
Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
It means head coach Louis van Gaal could face a reunion with Barcelona or
Bayern Munich as early as next month.
Who can Celtic face?
Celtic could face a nightmare scenario if they manage to get past Malmo in
their play-off. The Glasgow giants are certain to be in Pot 4 for the group
stage draw given their low coefficient and with no other Scottish team in
the draw they could face anyone.
When will the matches take place?
Group stage games are scheduled to take place every two or three weeks from
September 15 to December 9.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW POTS 1-4
Pot 1: Barcelona, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Benfica, Paris
Saint-Germain, Zenit and PSV Eindhoven
Pot 2: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, FC Porto, Arsenal, Manchester City
Pot 2 or 3: Sevilla, Olympique Lyonnais, Dynamo Kyiv
Pot 3: Olympiakos, Galatasaray
Pot 3 or 4: Roma, Borussia Monchengladbach, Wolfsburg
Pot 4: Gent
The ten play-off winners will be added depending on their UEFA club
coefficient.
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