Arsenal’s Champions League group stage draw fate has been confirmed as Gunners return to European stage
Arsenal has become aware of their destiny in the Champions League group stage draw, marking their comeback to the top-tier European tournament after Arsene Wenger’s tenure.
While the Champions League qualifiers are ongoing, teams such as Rangers and PSV Eindhoven are in contention for their spots in the competition. The official group stage draw is scheduled for Thursday, 31 August.
However, the Gunners have already secured their position in the group stage of the tournament by achieving a remarkable second place in the previous Premier League season.
Arsenal is among the 32 teams that are set to partake in this season’s Champions League. The participating teams will be divided into eight groups, each comprising four teams. Each group will feature one team from each of the four designated pots.
These four pots, excluding the champions of the top seven leagues and the Europa League victors, currently consist of teams sorted by their UEFA Coefficient points. These points are determined based on their performances in European competitions over the past five seasons. Despite holding a coefficient of 76.000, Arsenal has been positioned in Pot 2.
Arsenal’s placement in Pot 2, as opposed to Pot 3, can be attributed to the non-qualification of teams like Chelsea, Liverpool, Juventus, Ajax, AS Roma, Villareal, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Tottenham Hotspur for this edition of the competition.
Additionally, Newcastle United will also be participating in the Champions League after an absence of two decades from the tournament. However, due to their prolonged hiatus from European competitions, they find themselves positioned in Pot 4.
Who could Arsenal face in the Champions League group stage?
Following UEFA regulations, Arsenal is prevented from being drawn against teams from the same country during the group stage. Consequently, they won’t be matched up against Manchester City, Manchester United, or Newcastle United.
This implies that potential opponents from Pot 1 for Arsenal include Sevilla, Barcelona, Napoli, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Benfica, and Feyenoord.
Shakhtar Donetsk, Red Bull Salzburg, AC Milan, Lazio, Celtic, and Red Star Belgrade are among the potential opponents from Pot 3. Additionally, one team from Rangers, Braga, or PSV will also be drawn from Pot 3.
RC Lens and Union Berlin are potential opponents for Arsenal from Pot 4.
The remaining seeds for the group stage will be determined following the conclusion of the final round of play-off matches.
Here are the remaining matches in the qualifying play-offs:
- Rakow Czestochow vs FC Copenhagen
- Rangers vs PSV Eindhoven
- Royal Antwerp vs tbc
- Maccabi Haifa vs Young Boys
- Molde vs Galatasaray
- Sporting Braga vs Panathinaikos
Arsenal’s Champions League group stage draw fate has been confirmed as Gunners return to European stage
