Messi. Robben. Pogba. The names of
Europe's star players roll off the tongue and these are the opponents
Manchester United have been fighting tooth and nail to compete against once
again. After a season-long absence, Louis van Gaal has hauled them back among
the elite.
But there's a problem: these
fearsome names might no longer await United in the knockout stages. Van Gaal
might have to deal with Europe's big guns straight away in the group stages,
thanks to a change in the Champions League seedings.
United – along with Chelsea,
Manchester City, Arsenal and the rest - will learn their fate at the Champions
League group stage draw, which takes place on Thursday.
As Europe holds its breath ahead of
the big day, Sportsmail brings you all you need to know about the draw – from
the seeding changes to the full list of teams in the hat and the match dates –
as the continent's best teams get set to lock horns once again.
When
is the draw and where is it taking place?
At 4.45pm this Thursday, August 27
inside Monaco's Grimaldi Forum.
Who's
in the hat?
The best 32 teams in all of Europe,
that's who. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Paris
Saint-Germain are just the tip of the iceberg. The Premier League will have its
full allocation of four teams in Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester
United.
How
will the draw work?
Teams are sorted into four pots of
eight, with each pot ranked from the top seeds down to the least fancied. One
team from each pot will be drawn in turn until eight groups of four have been
filled. This means that no team can play another from the same pot.
Each team will then play the others
in their group home and away to decide which two sides from the four in one
group progress to the knockout phase.
Which
teams go into which pot?
For the first time Pot One will
contain not the teams highest-ranked by UEFA's 'club coefficient' but the
champions of each of the top seven leagues – that's Spain, England, Germany,
Italy, Portugal, France and Russia – plus the holders.
They are Barcelona, Chelsea, Bayern
Munich, Juventus, Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and Zenit St Petersburg.
Seeing as the holders are Barcelona, the final spot in
the top pot has gone to the champions of the eighth-ranked nation, Holland. So
PSV Eindhoven will join the top seeds in Pot One.
Pot Two will contain the teams ranked highest by UEFA who
did not win their domestic leagues last season. That includes Manchester City,
Arsenal and Manchester United – despite their failing to qualify for the
competition last season. Real Madrid will be in Pot Two, alongside Atletico
Madrid, Porto, Valencia and Bayer Leverkusen.
Pot Three contains Sevilla, Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon,
Dynamo Kiev, Olympiacos, CSKA Moscow Galatasaray and Roma
Pot Four contains BATE, Borussia Monchengladbach,
Wolfsburg, Dinamo Zagreb, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Gent, Malmo and Astana.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE POTS
POT ONE
Barcelona (holders)
Chelsea
Bayern Munich
Juventus
Benfica
Paris Saint-Germain
Zenit
PSV Eindhoven
POT TWO
Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
Porto
Arsenal
Manchester United
Valencia
Bayer Leverkusen
Manchester City
POT THREE
Shakhtar Donetsk
Sevilla
Lyon
Dynamo Kiev
Olympiacos
CSKA Moscow
Galatasaray
Roma
POT FOUR
BATE
B. Monchengladbach
Wolfsburg
Dinamo Zagreb
Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Gent
Malmo
Astana
One team from each pot will form a group of eight. No
side can be drawn with another from the same domestic league.
Who could Chelsea draw?
None of the English teams (none of the Premier League
teams will be able to draw each other in the group stage). But because the
Blues are in Pot One, that greatly reduces their possible number of opponents
in Pot Two and greatly increases their chances of facing Real Madrid or
Atletico Madrid.
A dream group could include Bayer Leverkusen, Olympiacos
and Malmo.
A nightmare group
could include Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk and Wolfsburg
Who could Manchester City, Arsenal or Manchester United
draw?
Any of the domestic champions (except Chelsea), so one or
more of them are likely to play one of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus or
Paris Saint-Germain.
But the consolation is that they are guaranteed to avoid
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid as they share Pot Two.
A dream group for any of the three teams could include
PSV Eindhoven, Olympiacos and Malmo.
A nightmare group
for any of the three teams could include Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk and
Wolfsburg.
Why
are there five Spanish teams in the draw?
Sevilla are the first club to
qualify for the Champions League through winning the Europa League, and Spain
do not have to give up one of their existing four places through the national
league in the competition to accommodate them. This means Spain are the first
nation to have five teams in the group stage. England would have had five in
2005-06 had Everton progressed through the qualifying stage.
When
will the group matches take place?
Matchday one: 15/16 September
Matchday two: 29/30 September
Matchday three: 20/21 October
Matchday four: 3/4 November
Matchday five: 24/25 November
Matchday six: 8/9 December
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