28 Aug 2014 4:36PM Hello, and welcome to our liveblog of the Champions League group stages draw. We understand that the ceremony is due to officially get underway at 16.45.
28 Aug 2014 4:42PM In case you need a reminder, here are the various pots the teams will be drawn in, which are based on the teams’ UEFA coefficient. Pot 1: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, Porto. Pot 2: Schalke, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Shakhtar Donetsk, FC Basel, FC Zenit, Manchester City. Pot 3: Bayer Leverkusen, Olympiakos, CSKA Moscow, Ajax, Liverpool, Sporting Lisbon, Galatasaray, Athletic Bilbao. Pot 4: Anderlecht, Roma, APOEL FC, BATE Borisov, Ludogorets Razgrad, NK Maribor, AS Monaco, Malmö FF. For that and everything else you need to know about today’s draw, click here.
28 Aug 2014 5:06PM Charlie Nicholas’ new look is the talk of Twitter currently. Has Charlie Nicholas been varnished? #ShouldBeOnTOWIE #TheFutureIsBrightTheFutureIsOrange #ChampionsLeagueDraw pic.twitter.com/g8MKoZnSBB— Not David Beckham (@DB_DavidBeckham) August 28, 2014 Not David Beckham / Twitter
28 Aug 2014 5:07PM They’re currently discussing Liverpool’s hopes on Sky Sports News. Interestingly, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink says he wouldn’t have liked to have played with Mario Balotelli because he is “unpredictable”.
28 Aug 2014 5:08PM The draw is underway… Bayern Munich are in Group E, while Real Madrid are in Group B so far.
28 Aug 2014 5:10PM Here’s how we’re looking so far… Group B: Real Madrid Group C: Benfica Group D: Arsenal Group E: Bayern Munich
28 Aug 2014 5:13PM The drawing of Pot 1 teams is complete and Iker Casillas’ job here (drawing the pot 1 teams) is done… Group A: Atletico Madrid Group B: Real Madrid Group C: Benfica Group D: Arsenal Group E: Bayern Munich Group F: Barcelona Group G: Chelsea Group H: Porto
28 Aug 2014 5:20PM Fernando Hierro is drawing teams from Pot 2. Here’s how it looks so far… Group A: Atletico Madrid Group B: Real Madrid Group C: Benfica, Zenit Group D: Arsenal Group E: Bayern Munich Group F: Barcelona, PSG. Group G: Chelsea Group H: Porto, Shakhtar.
28 Aug 2014 5:22PM Pot 2 has now been completed… Group A: Atletico Madrid, Juventus. Group B: Real Madrid, Basel Group C: Benfica, Zenit Group D: Arsenal, Dortmund. Group E: Bayern Munich, Man City. Group F: Barcelona, PSG. Group G: Chelsea, Schalke. Group H: Porto, Shakhtar.
28 Aug 2014 5:28PM Here’s how we’re looking at the halfway point of Pot 3… Group A: Atletico Madrid, Juventus. Group B: Real Madrid, Basel, Liverpool. Group C: Benfica, Zenit Group D: Arsenal, Dortmund. Group E: Bayern Munich, Man City, CSKA. Group F: Barcelona, PSG, Ajax. Group G: Chelsea, Schalke. Group H: Porto, Shakhtar, Bilbao
28 Aug 2014 5:31PM And thus completes Pot 3. Group A: Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Olympiakos. Group B: Real Madrid, Basel, Liverpool. Group C: Benfica, Zenit, Leverkusen. Group D: Arsenal, Dortmund, Galatasaray. Group E: Bayern Munich, Man City, CSKA. Group F: Barcelona, PSG, Ajax. Group G: Chelsea, Schalke, Sporting. Group H: Porto, Shakhtar, Bilbao What do you make of that Liverpool fans?
28 Aug 2014 5:39PM Here’s how we’re looking… Group A: Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Olympiakos, Malmo. Group B: Real Madrid, Basel, Liverpool, Ludogorets Razgrad. Group C: Benfica, Zenit, Leverkusen, Monaco. Group D: Arsenal, Dortmund, Galatasaray. Group E: Bayern Munich, Man City, CSKA. Group F: Barcelona, PSG, Ajax, APOEL. Group G: Chelsea, Schalke, Sporting.
28 Aug 2014 5:43PM And that’s a wrap… Group A: Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Olympiakos, Malmo. Group B: Real Madrid, Basel, Liverpool, Ludogorets Razgrad. Group C: Benfica, Zenit, Leverkusen, Monaco. Group D: Arsenal, Dortmund, Galatasaray, Anderlecht. Group E: Bayern Munich, Man City, CSKA, Roma. Group F: Barcelona, PSG, Ajax, APOEL. Group G: Chelsea, Schalke, Sporting, Maribor. Group H: Porto, Shakhtar, Bilbao, BATE Borisov.
28 Aug 2014 5:44PM APOEL’s Irish striker Cillian Sheridan is not daunted by Group F… Easy— Cillian Sheridan (@CillianSheridan) August 28, 2014 Cillian Sheridan / Twitter
28 Aug 2014 5:47PM So this seems to be the initial consensus as far as the English teams’ groups are concerned… Liverpool – not too hard. Arsenal – tricky Man City – hard. Chelsea – easy enough.
28 Aug 2014 5:57PM Good draw for the English. Chelsea should be happy, Liverpool thrilled, City tense, Arsenal confident.— Paul Kelso (@pkelso) August 28, 2014 Paul Kelso / Twitter
28 Aug 2014 5:58PM Right, that’s all from me for now, but we’ll have more reaction on the site to come. Thanks for reading and commenting.
As it happened: The UEFA Champions League group stages draw
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Hello, and welcome to our liveblog of the Champions League group stages draw.
We understand that the ceremony is due to officially get underway at 16.45.
In case you need a reminder, here are the various pots the teams will be drawn in, which are based on the teams’ UEFA coefficient.
Pot 1: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, Porto.
Pot 2: Schalke, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Shakhtar Donetsk, FC Basel, FC Zenit, Manchester City.
Pot 3: Bayer Leverkusen, Olympiakos, CSKA Moscow, Ajax, Liverpool, Sporting Lisbon, Galatasaray, Athletic Bilbao.
Pot 4: Anderlecht, Roma, APOEL FC, BATE Borisov, Ludogorets Razgrad, NK Maribor, AS Monaco, Malmö FF.
For that and everything else you need to know about today’s draw, click here.
Charlie Nicholas’ new look is the talk of Twitter currently.
They’re currently discussing Liverpool’s hopes on Sky Sports News.
Interestingly, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink says he wouldn’t have liked to have played with Mario Balotelli because he is “unpredictable”.
The draw is underway…
Bayern Munich are in Group E, while Real Madrid are in Group B so far.
Here’s how we’re looking so far…
Group B: Real Madrid
Group C: Benfica
Group D: Arsenal
Group E: Bayern Munich
The drawing of Pot 1 teams is complete and Iker Casillas’ job here (drawing the pot 1 teams) is done…
Group A: Atletico Madrid
Group B: Real Madrid
Group C: Benfica
Group D: Arsenal
Group E: Bayern Munich
Group F: Barcelona
Group G: Chelsea
Group H: Porto
Fernando Hierro is drawing teams from Pot 2. Here’s how it looks so far…
Group A: Atletico Madrid
Group B: Real Madrid
Group C: Benfica, Zenit
Group D: Arsenal
Group E: Bayern Munich
Group F: Barcelona, PSG.
Group G: Chelsea
Group H: Porto, Shakhtar.
Pot 2 has now been completed…
Group A: Atletico Madrid, Juventus.
Group B: Real Madrid, Basel
Group C: Benfica, Zenit
Group D: Arsenal, Dortmund.
Group E: Bayern Munich, Man City.
Group F: Barcelona, PSG.
Group G: Chelsea, Schalke.
Group H: Porto, Shakhtar.
Manuel Sanchis is drawing teams from Pot 3…
Here’s how we’re looking at the halfway point of Pot 3…
Group A: Atletico Madrid, Juventus.
Group B: Real Madrid, Basel, Liverpool.
Group C: Benfica, Zenit
Group D: Arsenal, Dortmund.
Group E: Bayern Munich, Man City, CSKA.
Group F: Barcelona, PSG, Ajax.
Group G: Chelsea, Schalke.
Group H: Porto, Shakhtar, Bilbao
And thus completes Pot 3.
Group A: Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Olympiakos.
Group B: Real Madrid, Basel, Liverpool.
Group C: Benfica, Zenit, Leverkusen.
Group D: Arsenal, Dortmund, Galatasaray.
Group E: Bayern Munich, Man City, CSKA.
Group F: Barcelona, PSG, Ajax.
Group G: Chelsea, Schalke, Sporting.
Group H: Porto, Shakhtar, Bilbao
What do you make of that Liverpool fans?
Francisco Gento is the latest Real Madrid legend to draw teams from the pot…
Here’s how we’re looking…
Group A: Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Olympiakos, Malmo.
Group B: Real Madrid, Basel, Liverpool, Ludogorets Razgrad.
Group C: Benfica, Zenit, Leverkusen, Monaco.
Group D: Arsenal, Dortmund, Galatasaray.
Group E: Bayern Munich, Man City, CSKA.
Group F: Barcelona, PSG, Ajax, APOEL.
Group G: Chelsea, Schalke, Sporting.
And that’s a wrap…
Group A: Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Olympiakos, Malmo.
Group B: Real Madrid, Basel, Liverpool, Ludogorets Razgrad.
Group C: Benfica, Zenit, Leverkusen, Monaco.
Group D: Arsenal, Dortmund, Galatasaray, Anderlecht.
Group E: Bayern Munich, Man City, CSKA, Roma.
Group F: Barcelona, PSG, Ajax, APOEL.
Group G: Chelsea, Schalke, Sporting, Maribor.
Group H: Porto, Shakhtar, Bilbao, BATE Borisov.
APOEL’s Irish striker Cillian Sheridan is not daunted by Group F…
So this seems to be the initial consensus as far as the English teams’ groups are concerned…
Liverpool – not too hard.
Arsenal – tricky
Man City – hard.
Chelsea – easy enough.
Here’s a slightly fancier presentation of the groups (h/t @gavreilly)
Right, that’s all from me for now, but we’ll have more reaction on the site to come.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
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