The Champions League group stages are looming ever larger on the horizon, with Europe’s top clubs set to find out their group stage opponents on Thursday.
With the qualifiers safely negotiated for the likes of Manchester United, Malmo and Valencia, we now know the identity of the 32 teams who will complete this season’s competition.
Ahead of the draw, Goal has put together this handy guide for all of your European needs!
The draw will take place on August 27 at 5.45pm UK time. It will be made in Monaco.
As champions of England, Chelsea will be in Pot 1, meaning they will avoid fellow 2014-15 title winners, though they may still be drawn against the likes of Real Madrid or Atletico.
Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City, meanwhile, go into Pot 2, despite Louis van Gaal’s men having to overcome Club Brugge to qualify for the group stages.
As such, all three sides are guaranteed to face a champion of a European league in the groups this season, with the teams ranging from Bayern Munich and Barcelona to PSV.
Full Pots
Pot 1: Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Benfica, PSG, Juventus, Zenit St Petersburg, PSV
Pot 2: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Porto, Arsenal, Manchester United, Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester City, Valencia
Pot 3: Shakhtar Donetsk, Sevilla, Lyon, Dynamo Kiev, Olympiacos, CSKA Moscow, Galatasaray, Roma
Pot 4: Astana, Bate Borisov, Borussia Monchengladbach, Wolfsburg, Dinamo Zagreb, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Gent, Malmo
The group stages begins on September 15, with the last matchday coming on December 9.
