Champions League: Who can Chelsea get in group stage draw?

Chelsea begin their defence of the Champions League after becoming European champions under Thomas Tuchel last season with a 1-0 victory over Man City in the final in Porto.

The Blues edged past the Premier League champions thanks to Kai Havertz, for their second Champions League title following their success in Munich nine years earlier.

Tuchel is now armed with a more formidable squad, thanks to the arrival of Romelu Lukaku for £97.5m, with the Belgian stamping his authority on the side in his second debut on Sunday, scoring the opener in the 2-0 victory over Arsenal.

It is now two wins from two games to kick-start the Premier League campaign, with Tuchel now expected to contend at home and on the continent.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2021/22 Champions League group stage draw and who the Blues could face.

When is it?

The draw for the group stage will take place in Istanbul on Thursday 26 August at 5pm BST.

How can I watch it?

European football governing body Uefa will stream the draw live on their website.

In the UK, BT Sport will also air the draw live on BT Sport 2 HD and the broadcaster’s site.

Who can Chelsea draw?

Chelsea are in pot one as champions, which means they cannot draw fellow pot one teams: Bayern Munich, Manchester City (also due to being from the same domestic league), Atlético de Madrid, Villarreal, Inter Milan, Sporting, Lille.

Pot one is made up of the Champions League holders, the Europa League holders and the champions of the top six-ranked associations (Spain, England, Germany, Italy, France, Portugal), the remaining pots are dependent on the Uefa co-efficients, which could change depending on who emerges from this week’s play-offs.

Group stage draw pots as things stand

Pot one: Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Atlético de Madrid, Villarreal, Inter Milan, Sporting, Lille

 

Pot two: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund

Pot three: Porto, Ajax, Leipzig, Atalanta, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Benfica – PLUS Shakhtar (should they beat Monaco), Salzburg (should they beat Brondby), Besiktas (should one of Shakhtar or Salzburg fail to win their play-off ties, Dynamo Kiev (should both Shakhtar and Salzburg fail to win their play-off ties).

Pot four: Brugge, Young Boys, AC Milan, Malmo, Wolfsburg, Dinamo Zagreb or Sheriff Tiraspol – PLUS Besiktas (should both Shakhtar and Salzburg win their play-offs), Dynamo Kiev (should one or both of Shakhtar and Salzburg win their play-offs), Brondby (should they beat Salzburg in the play-offs), Monaco (should they beat Shakhtar in the play-offs).

Due to playing in the same league, Chelsea cannot draw pot two teams Manchester United or Liverpool, which means a tough test is almost certain to greet them in the group stage with one of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund.

Chelsea can therefore face any of pot three teams Porto, Ajax, Leipzig, Atalanta, Benfica and Zenit Saint Petersburg. They could also take on Shakhtar Donetsk, Salzburg, while Besiktas and Dynamo Kiev are options too if Brondby and Monaco win their play-off ties.

That means the Blues could face AC Milan in pot four, with Brugge, Wolfsburg, Young Boys and Malmo definitely options too. Monaco, Brondby and either Sheriff Tiraspol or Dinamo Zagreb will fall into pot four if they win their play-off ties. Besiktas and Dynamo Kiev will be options here too if Salzburg and Shakhtar Donetsk win their ties.

To conclude, an example of a tough group on paper for the Blues could be: Paris Saint-German, Zenit Saint Petersburg, AC Milan.

A slightly kinder draw to many might be: Sevilla, Ajax, Brugge.

Which teams are involved?

Thirty-two clubs will take part in the group stage, with 26 having already qualified.

The final play-off fixtures will take place on Wednesday to determine which six clubs will join the below teams – separated by country – in the group stage:

Spain: Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Villarreal

England: Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea

Germany: Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Wolfsburg

Italy: Inter Milan, AC Milan, Atalanta, Juventus

France: Lille, Paris Saint-Germain

Portugal: Sporting Lisbon, Porto

Russia: Zenit Saint Petersburg

Belgium: Club Brugge

Ukraine: Dynamo Kyiv

Netherlands: Ajax

Turkey: Besiktas

The remaining play-off fixtures are: Brondby vs RB Salzburg; Shakhtar Donetsk vs Monaco; Dinamo Zagreb vs Sheriff Tiraspol.

How does the draw work?

The teams will be split into four seeding pots. Pot 1 will be made up of the holders (Chelsea), the Europa League winners (Villarreal) and the champions of the six highest-ranked nations – given neither Chelsea nor Villarreal won their domestic leagues. Pots 2 to 4 will be determined by club coefficient rankings.

No team can play a side from their own domestic league. The pots will be confirmed before the draw ceremony begins.

A number of awards from the 2020/21 edition of the competition will also be handed out.

When does the Champions League group stage take place?

Matchday 1: 14/15 September

Matchday 2: 28/29 September

Matchday 3: 19/20 October

Matchday 4: 2/3 November

Matchday 5: 23/24 November

Matchday 6: 7/8 December

Who are the favourites to win the competition?

PSG: 16/5

Chelsea: 9/1

Man City: 41/10

Bayern Munich: 41/5