Soccer

All you need to know: British clubs await fate as Champions League draw takes place

The Champions League group-stage draw takes place on Thursday afternoon

Real Madrid are the current holders of the Champions League after beating Liverpool in last season's final in Paris. Photograph: Getty Images
Real Madrid are the current holders of the Champions League after beating Liverpool in last season's final in Paris. Photograph: Getty Images
Thu Aug 25 2022 - 09:10

The draw for the Champions League group stage takes place on Thursday in Istanbul.

Six British sides will be among the 32 teams drawn into eight groups of four in Europe’s premier club competition.

Who are the British teams in the draw?

English champions Manchester City are joined by the rest of last season’s top four in the Premier League — last year’s finalists Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham. Scottish champions Celtic and fierce rivals Rangers are also involved this year.

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Two teams from Scotland?

Yes, for the first time since the 2007-08 season, the Scottish Premiership will have two clubs in the group stage. Scotland’s improved Uefa coefficient ranking meant Celtic qualified automatically, while Rangers came through qualifiers against Union Saint Gilloise and PSV Eindhoven.

[ Champions League qualifiers: Rangers edge PSV to join Celtic in group stage ]

Can the British teams face each other?

Teams from the same league cannot meet in the group stage, but there is nothing to stop an English team being drawn against a Scottish opponent.

How does the draw work?

Clubs have been split into four pots, with one team from each making up a group. Pot one is made up of holders Real Madrid, the other champions of Europe’s biggest leagues and Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt. The other pots are based on how well teams have done in Europe over the past five seasons.

Which pot are the British teams in?

City are in pot one, while Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham are in the second. Celtic and Rangers are in the fourth pot.

[ The reasons Liverpool have made their worst start to a season under Jürgen Klopp ]

What would a ‘group of death’ look like?

There is the possibility of some heavyweight groups. City could end up with Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Marseille, while Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Marseille is a possibility for the other English clubs. Celtic and Rangers could find themselves with Paris St Germain, Liverpool and Inter.

What time is the draw?

It is scheduled to start at 5pm BST.

And when do the games take place?

The first group matches will take place on September 6/7th, with the final round on November 1st/2nd.