Chelsea beat Manchester Metropolis in final 12 months’s last
The Champions League is again.
The draw for this 12 months’s competitors takes place on Thursday at 17:00 BST in Istanbul, with defending champions Chelsea among the many groups ready to search out out who they’ll face within the group stage.
Fellow Premier League sides Manchester Metropolis, who had been final 12 months’s crushed finalists, Manchester United and Liverpool are all within the pot too.
This is the whole lot it’s essential to know concerning the draw.
Who’s within the draw?
There have been 26 groups that certified for the group stage routinely, with an extra six sides progressing by way of the play-offs.
Spain have 5 qualifiers, 4 via their end in La Liga plus Villarreal after profitable the Europa League.
Spain: Atletico Madrid, Actual Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Villarreal
England: Manchester Metropolis, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea
Germany: Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Wolfsburg
Italy: Inter Milan, AC Milan, Atalanta, Juventus
France: Lille, Paris St-Germain
Portugal: Sporting Lisbon, Porto, Benfica
Russia: Zenit St Petersburg
Belgium: Membership Bruges
Ukraine: Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar Donetsk
Netherlands: Ajax
Turkey: Besiktas
Switzerland: Younger Boys
Sweden: Malmo
Austria: RB Salzburg
Moldova: Sheriff Tiraspol
What are the seeding pots?
Now PSG have signed Lionel Messi, can they lastly crack the Champions League?
Groups will likely be break up into 4 seeding pots, with pot one containing the holders Chelsea and Europa League winners Villarreal.
The remaining pot one groups are made up of the champions from the six highest-ranked nations; Manchester Metropolis (England), Atletico Madrid (Spain), Inter Milan (Italy), Bayern Munich (Germany), Lille (France), Sporting Lisbon (Portugal).
Pots two, three and 4 are decided by Uefa’s membership coefficient, which incorporates Sheriff Tiraspol, the primary Moldovan membership to high quality for the group phases of the Champions League.
Pot two: PSG, Actual Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester United, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund
Pot three: Porto, Ajax, Atalanta, RB Leipzig, Zenit St Petersburg, Benfica, Shakhtar Donetsk, RB Salzburg
Pot 4: AC Milan, Wolfsburg, Membership Bruges, Malmo, Besiktas, Younger Boys, Dynamo Kiev, Sheriff Tiraspol.
How does the draw work?
At this stage, no sides from their very own affiliation might be drawn in opposition to one another. For instance, Manchester Metropolis will keep away from a gathering with rivals Manchester United.
If associations have two representatives, reminiscent of Lille and PSG from France, these groups will likely be paired in order that their matches might be break up between Tuesday and Wednesday.
If associations have 4 or extra representatives, which is the case for Spain, England, Germany and Italy, then two pairings will likely be made.
The 32 groups will likely be put into eight teams of 4.
When will the group matches happen?
Matchday one: 14/15 September
Matchday two: 28/29 September
Matchday three: 19/20 October
Matchday 4: 2/3 November
Matchday 5: 23/24 November
Matchday six: 7/8 December
How does the competitors work?
The highest two groups from every group will advance to the last-16 knockout stage.
Groups ending third in every group will drop all the way down to the Europa League last-16 stage, the place they’ll face the runners-up from the Europa League teams.
This 12 months’s Champions League last takes place on the St Petersburg Stadium in Russia on Saturday, 28 Could.
When is the Europa League draw?
The draw for Uefa’s secondary membership competitors, the Europa League, will happen on Friday at 12:00 BST in Istanbul.
The competitors has been decreased from 48 to 32 groups this 12 months and groups will likely be divided into 4 pots relying on their membership coefficient and drawn into eight teams of 4.
No sides from their very own affiliation might be drawn in opposition to one another.
This season’s last will happen in Seville, Spain on Wednesday, 18 Could.
When is the Europa Convention League draw?
Uefa has launched a 3rd membership competitors beginning this season, the Europa Convention League, and the draw for that can even happen on Friday at 12:30 BST in Istanbul.
Just like the Champions League and revamped Europa League, this competitors will characteristic 32 groups and equally groups will likely be divided into 4 pots relying on their membership coefficient and drawn into eight teams of 4.
As soon as extra, no sides from their very own affiliation might be drawn in opposition to one another.
Group stage matches will happen on Thursday nights, the identical night time because the Europa League.
The primary last will happen in Tirana, Albania on Wednesday, 25 Could.
