FC Bayern München face the very real threat of being drawn against the most successful Spanish side in history in the Champions League group stage. As well as a possible return to the Allianz Arena for Toni Kroos and his Real Madrid side, Bayern could also line up against another familiar face in Bastian Schweinsteiger should they be put in a group with Manchester United. That’s not all – World Cup winners Mesut Özil and Per Mertesacker could be playing against some of their national teammates this season, as Bayern also face the possibility of drawing Arsenal FC.
Since the champions of each league are now entered exclusively into pot 1 according to new UEFA rules, pot 2 of tonight’s draw in Monaco is full of dangerous teams that no side would want to meet.
Wolfsburg and Gladbach fearing "groups of death"
The draw at Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum could well bring some bad news for fans of Borussia Mönchengladbach and VfL Wolfsburg, since both sides find themselves in the bottom pot 4 – Gladbach because this is their debut Champions League appearance and Wolfsburg because of their poor UEFA coefficient. Any hopes that either side had of jumping up into pot 3 were dashed by the results of the play-off matches on Tuesday evening.
Alongside Bayern in pot 1 are Barcelona, Chelsea, Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Zenit St. Petersburg and PSV Eindhoven – the eight highest-seeded teams are now no longer decided by UEFA rankings, but the champions of each of the top seven leagues plus last season’s Champions League winner. Pots 2-4 are then decided as normal by UEFA rankings, meaning that both Gladbach and Wolfsburg have every right to fear a so-called "group of death".
Leverkusen in pot 2 alongside Real and two Manchester sides
Pot 2 is full of strong sides – Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, FC Porto, Arsenal, Manchester City and Valencia CF, with Germany international Shkodran Mustafi, are all possible opponents for FC Bayern. After qualifying for the group stages with a win in over Club Brugge on Wednesday night, Manchester United became seventh side to make up the second pot, whilst Bayer Leverkusen’s 3-0 victory over Lazio also sent them straight into pot 2 due to their current rank of 16th in UEFA’s list.
No team can play another side from their own country until after the quarterfinal stage. The group stage kicks off on 15th/16th September, and the 2016 Champions League Final will take place on 28th May 2016 in Milan.
Draw pots and UEFA rankings
Pot 1: FC Barcelona (rank 2, current holders), FC Bayern München (3), Chelsea FC (4), Benfica Lisbon (6), Paris Saint-Germain (11), Juventus Turin (14), Zenit St. Petersburg (15), PSV Eindhoven (30).
Pot 2: Real Madrid (1), Atlético Madrid (5), FC Porto (8), Arsenal FC (9), Manchester United (10), Valencia CF (12), Bayer Leverkusen (16), Manchester City (17).
Pot 3: Shakhtar Donetsk (18), Sevilla CF (23), Olympique Lyon (25), Dynamo Kiev (27), Olympiakos (28), CSKA Moscow (34), Galatasaray (38), AS Roma (46).
Pot 4: BATE Borisov (63), Borussia Mönchengladbach (64), VfL Wolfsburg (67), Dinamo Zagreb (84), Maccabi Tel Aviv (104), AA Gent (135), Malmö FF (142), FK Astana (310).
created by mmc/sm
FC Bayern München face the very real threat of being drawn against the most successful Spanish side in history in the Champions League group stage. As well as a possible return to the Allianz Arena for Toni Kroos and his Real Madrid side, Bayern could also line up against another familiar face in Bastian Schweinsteiger should they be put in a group with Manchester United. That’s not all – World Cup winners Mesut Özil and Per Mertesacker could be playing against some of their national teammates this season, as Bayern also face the possibility of drawing Arsenal FC.
Since the champions of each league are now entered exclusively into pot 1 according to new UEFA rules, pot 2 of tonight’s draw in Monaco is full of dangerous teams that no side would want to meet.
Wolfsburg and Gladbach fearing "groups of death"
The draw at Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum could well bring some bad news for fans of Borussia Mönchengladbach and VfL Wolfsburg, since both sides find themselves in the bottom pot 4 – Gladbach because this is their debut Champions League appearance and Wolfsburg because of their poor UEFA coefficient. Any hopes that either side had of jumping up into pot 3 were dashed by the results of the play-off matches on Tuesday evening.
Alongside Bayern in pot 1 are Barcelona, Chelsea, Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Zenit St. Petersburg and PSV Eindhoven – the eight highest-seeded teams are now no longer decided by UEFA rankings, but the champions of each of the top seven leagues plus last season’s Champions League winner. Pots 2-4 are then decided as normal by UEFA rankings, meaning that both Gladbach and Wolfsburg have every right to fear a so-called "group of death".
Leverkusen in pot 2 alongside Real and two Manchester sides
Pot 2 is full of strong sides – Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, FC Porto, Arsenal, Manchester City and Valencia CF, with Germany international Shkodran Mustafi, are all possible opponents for FC Bayern. After qualifying for the group stages with a win in over Club Brugge on Wednesday night, Manchester United became seventh side to make up the second pot, whilst Bayer Leverkusen’s 3-0 victory over Lazio also sent them straight into pot 2 due to their current rank of 16th in UEFA’s list.
No team can play another side from their own country until after the quarterfinal stage. The group stage kicks off on 15th/16th September, and the 2016 Champions League Final will take place on 28th May 2016 in Milan.
Draw pots and UEFA rankings
Pot 1: FC Barcelona (rank 2, current holders), FC Bayern München (3), Chelsea FC (4), Benfica Lisbon (6), Paris Saint-Germain (11), Juventus Turin (14), Zenit St. Petersburg (15), PSV Eindhoven (30).
Pot 2: Real Madrid (1), Atlético Madrid (5), FC Porto (8), Arsenal FC (9), Manchester United (10), Valencia CF (12), Bayer Leverkusen (16), Manchester City (17).
Pot 3: Shakhtar Donetsk (18), Sevilla CF (23), Olympique Lyon (25), Dynamo Kiev (27), Olympiakos (28), CSKA Moscow (34), Galatasaray (38), AS Roma (46).
Pot 4: BATE Borisov (63), Borussia Mönchengladbach (64), VfL Wolfsburg (67), Dinamo Zagreb (84), Maccabi Tel Aviv (104), AA Gent (135), Malmö FF (142), FK Astana (310).
