MONACO HOSTS THE Champions League draw later today (4.45 Irish time) with all the usual suspects in there.
While Premier League trio Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all find themselves in the favourable position of Pot 1, Man City’s are likely to face a considerably tougher group as they are included in Pot 3 alongside last season’s finalists Borussia Dortmund.
Manuel Pellegrini upset the odds last time out when his Malaga side progressed through the qualifiers and went all the way to the quarter-finals on their maiden voyage in Europe’s elite club competition – knocking out Zenit St Petersburg and Porto along the way before going down to Dortmund in dramatic fashion.
With holders Bayern Munich and heavyweights such as Barcelona, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Rafa Benitez’s Napoli all possible opponents, the Chilean will need to work his magic yet again this season.
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Celtic booked their spot late on in last night’s qualifier against Shakhter Karagandy and, included in Pot 4, they will no doubt be hosting a couple of mouth-watering ties at Celtic Park later later in the year.
There are a couple of nightmare scenarios that Neil Lennon’s men could end up with, including a group of Bayern Munich, PSG and Man City. They could also be drawn alongside Real Madrid, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund in a tantalising draw that would also send a shiver down the spine of Hoops’ fans.
Below is arguably the worst case scenario for Man City:
Bayern Munich – Current holders and now managed by Pep Guardiola
Bayern are the current holders. Credit: Martin Rickett/PA Wire/Press Association Images
Paris Saint-Germain – French champions who have added Edison Cavani to their star-studded line-up
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edison Cavani. Credit: Michel Euler/AP/Press Association Images
Napoli – Have brought in Rafa Benitez, Pepe Reina and Real Madrid trio Gonzalo Higuain, Jose Callejon and Raul Albiol
Jose Collejon celebrates after scoring with Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain, second left, and Goran Pandev. Credit: Gennaro Giorgio/AP/Press Association Images
And here is the full list of teams:
POT 1: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, Porto, Benfica.
POT 2: Atletico Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan, Schalke, Marseille, CSKA Moscow, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus.
POT 3: Zenit St Petersburg, Manchester City, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Basel, Olympiacos, Galatasaray, Bayer Leverkusen.
POT 4: FC Copenhagen, Napoli, Anderlecht, Celtic, Steaua Bucharest, Viktoria Plzen, Real Sociedad, Austria Vienna.
Man City could end up with a 'Group of Death' in the Champions League
MONACO HOSTS THE Champions League draw later today (4.45 Irish time) with all the usual suspects in there.
While Premier League trio Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all find themselves in the favourable position of Pot 1, Man City’s are likely to face a considerably tougher group as they are included in Pot 3 alongside last season’s finalists Borussia Dortmund.
Manuel Pellegrini upset the odds last time out when his Malaga side progressed through the qualifiers and went all the way to the quarter-finals on their maiden voyage in Europe’s elite club competition – knocking out Zenit St Petersburg and Porto along the way before going down to Dortmund in dramatic fashion.
With holders Bayern Munich and heavyweights such as Barcelona, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Rafa Benitez’s Napoli all possible opponents, the Chilean will need to work his magic yet again this season.
Celtic booked their spot late on in last night’s qualifier against Shakhter Karagandy and, included in Pot 4, they will no doubt be hosting a couple of mouth-watering ties at Celtic Park later later in the year.
There are a couple of nightmare scenarios that Neil Lennon’s men could end up with, including a group of Bayern Munich, PSG and Man City. They could also be drawn alongside Real Madrid, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund in a tantalising draw that would also send a shiver down the spine of Hoops’ fans.
Below is arguably the worst case scenario for Man City:
Bayern Munich – Current holders and now managed by Pep Guardiola
Bayern are the current holders. Credit: Martin Rickett/PA Wire/Press Association Images
Paris Saint-Germain – French champions who have added Edison Cavani to their star-studded line-up
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edison Cavani. Credit: Michel Euler/AP/Press Association Images
Napoli – Have brought in Rafa Benitez, Pepe Reina and Real Madrid trio Gonzalo Higuain, Jose Callejon and Raul Albiol
Jose Collejon celebrates after scoring with Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain, second left, and Goran Pandev. Credit: Gennaro Giorgio/AP/Press Association Images
And here is the full list of teams:
- Additional reporting from Cormac O’Malley
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Champions League Draw Manchester City Permutations