The Champions League draw will take place on Thursday evening, with Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham all discovering league phase opponents
The Premier League is two games, and now they focus on the Champions League and a draw will take place on Thursday.
This season’s contest will feature Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham with fierce English presence among the 36 teams draw. This was the second season in the new Champions League format, with a group of four teams endorsing the longer league phase.
The draw will take place at 5pm BST on Thursday, August 28th, following the end of the final playoffs on Wednesday evening. Teams will be placed in four pots based on UEFA coefficients and determine eight matches with eight different aspects played between September and January.
UEFA rules mean that Premier League teams cannot face each other during the league stage of the competition, and each can only play up to two teams from different associations. It is guaranteed to have some delicious fixtures, with matches on both sides for each pot against the two sides.
Here, Miller Football looks at four pots and considers the dreams and nightmare scenarios of the English club involved.
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Pot 1
Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona
Pot 2
Arsenal, Bayer Lebakusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintrahatt Frankfurt, Benfica*, Club Bruge*
Pot 3
Tottenham, Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Naples, Sports Lisbon, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Bodeau/Grimt, Marseille
Pot 4
Monaco, Paphos, Galata Salei, Kairat Almati, Union Sunjoys, Athletic Club, Newcastle, Copenhagen*, Ferencivalos*
* Possible to move, and the other 4 locations still get grabs in the playoffs
Arsenal
Gunner arrived in the semi-finals last season after a strong show, but was in Pot 2 and ranked 15th in UEFA’s coefficient.
Mikel Arteta’s team went well in the league phase last season, finishing third with six wins in eight games, but hopes to avoid PSG, who had numbers in the semi-finals, and win both feet on the way to lift the trophy. Inter was probably another side to avoid from pot one, as they were the only side to beat Arsenal in the league phase.
In contrast, Arsenal had Real Madrid’s numbers in the knockout stage last season, earning both quarterfinal legs. Arteta makes Dortmund fancy, looking at the weakest aspects of pot 1. PSV is another team that scored nine goals on two legs against the Dutch side last season.
Liverpool
The Arne Slot side is fifth in the UEFA coefficient and puts it in pot 1 with the big hitter. They blew through the league phase last season and won seven games at the top of the table despite losing the final game.
Liverpool was disappointed when he was knocked out on a penalty shootout in the final 16 by PSG, and this time they are aiming to go further.
The match against Real Madrid will be a story-filled after Trent Alexander Arnold sets out and Xabi Alonso in charge. The Reds are pleased to face them as they hit Alonso’s Bayer Leberkusen 4-0 last season and signed their two best players since, Florian Wiltz and Jeremy Fripon. In fact, beyond PSG, Liverpool has no bogey side. Liverpool will be one of my favorites.
Manchester City
City struggled very hard last season in the Champions League, finishing 22nd in the league phase with just three wins in eight games. They were beaten by Sport, Juventus, PSG and drawn by Inter and Feynord before being knocked out by Real Madrid.
Pep Guardiola’s side wants to avoid the actual PSG in the draw, but Atletico Madrid looks the toughest of the Pot 2 options. They should expect to steam and roller pot 3 and pot 4 opponents, given the depth of their team.
Chelsea
The Blues have returned to big time after winning a stylish conference league last season, after two seasons of absence. Enzo Maresca’s side is placed in pot 1 despite sitting at 14th in the UEFA coefficient rankings.
Chelsea have shown they can mix with the best by beating PSG 3-0 in the summer Club World Cup final, but they will probably prefer to play Dortmund and Inter from pot 1.
With Kairat Almaty in this year’s Champions League, there’s a few familiar conference league vibes to make them feel like they’re at home.
Newcastle
Magpies are in pot 4, as they are the 85th lowest in UEFA coefficients and are equipped with themselves for some challenging fixtures. But they were here before and got back to the 2023/24 season and did well. The highlight was a 4-1 victory at PSG.
However, while it was tough against Milan and Dortmund, this time it’s a tough battle after a difficult summer with the transfer window. Fans enjoy some big fixtures, but Eddie Hau may want to avoid German champion Bayern Munich and Spanish champion Barcelona.
Tottenham
The Spurs are back in the Champions League as they beat Manchester United 1-0 in the Europa League final. Thomas Frank, who finished 17th in the Premier League last season, will be working in Europe this season.
It’s because of some tough tasks as they’re back in competition for the first time in two and a half seasons and are currently scheduled to be in Pot 3. Real Madrid and Bayern Munich should be avoided, but the league format gives them a decent chance of qualifying for the knockout stage.
Match Day 1: September 16th-17th, 2025
Match Day 2: September 30th – October 1st, 2025
Match Day 3: October 21st-22nd, 2025
Match Day 4: November 4-5, 2025
Match Day 5: November 25th-26th, 2025
Match Day 6: December 9th – 10th, 2025
Match Day 7: January 20-21, 2026
Match Day 8: January 28, 2026
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