The draw of the group stage of the Champions League 2018-2019 will take place this Thursday. Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Liverpool, the three giants qualified this season, will soon be fixed on the identity of their future opponents in the most prestigious European competitions.
The 32 teams will be divided into four pots. Pot 1 contains the title holder Real Madrid, the winner of the Europa League Atletico Madrid and the champions of the six highest ranking nations in the UEFA coefficient rankings Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Juventus Turin, Paris SG and Lokomotiv Moscow. The caps 2 to 4 are determined according to the coefficients of the clubs.
PSG is already certain to avoid the main contenders for the final victory. This does not necessarily guarantee an “easy” group. Parisians may well inherit Tottenham, Dortmund, Naples or Manchester United in pot 2 for example, Liverpool, Schalke 04 or Valencia in pot 3, and Inter Milan in pot 4.
Paris is more likely to fall on a group within its reach by facing for example Porto, CSKA Moscow and Hoffenheim. This is immediately less problematic for PSG formation. Especially if we compare with what is waiting for the other two representatives of Ligue 1.
Sergio Ramos lifts Champions League trophy. (Source:www.sportskeeda.com)
For Lyon and Monaco, present in the pot 3, the draw reserve heavy. One of the two French clubs – who cannot fall on the PSG as two teams from the same country can not compete – can be considered happy if he inherits Lokomotiv Moscow, the most affordable opponent of the pot 1.
If this is not the case, it will be one of the favorites of the competition in addition to a big piece of the pot 2. A group consisting of Real, Tottenham and Inter is a possibility.
On the other hand, Lyon and Monaco will not be able to inherit Liverpool, finalist unfortunate of the last edition, since Benfica qualified this Wednesday night during the dams and dragged the Reds in the pot 3.
Group-stage draw pots:
Pot 1: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Juventus Turin, Paris Saint-Germain, Lokomotiv Moscow.
Pot 2: Borussia Dortmund, FC Porto, Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Napoli, Tottenham, AS Rome, Benfica.
Pot 3: Liverpool, Schalke 04, Lyon, Monaco, Ajax Amsterdam, CSKA Moscow, PSV Eindhoven, Valencia FC.
Pot 4: Viktoria Plezen, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Young Boys, Inter Milan, Hoffenheim, Red Star Belgrade, AEK Athens.
