Man City’s Champions League group seeding and possible opponents set after Liverpool UCL final defeat
Manchester City’s probable Champions League group stage opponents for next season have been revealed after Real Madrid defeated Liverpool in the 2022 final.
As Premier League champions, Manchester City were assured a seeding in Pot One, with Liverpool expecting to join them as Champions League winners if they win the final on Saturday.
However, Real Madrid won the final 1-0, putting Liverpool in Pot Two, as determined by UEFA standings.
The Champions League, Europa League, and champions of England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and Portugal are all in Pot One.
However, because Madrid had completed a league and cup double, the winners of the next-highest league received a Pot One seeding, giving Dutch champions Ajax the last spot instead of Liverpool.
As a result, City will escape Real Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, FC Porto, and Ajax as Pot One opponents.
In addition, the final has confirmed Pot Two, with five prospective opponents available for City to face because they cannot play any of the three English teams in the Pot.
Because Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham are all excluded from facing City, the Blues will meet one of Barcelona, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, or RB Leipzig in the group stage next season.
Pots 3 and 4 are still being finalised, with six clubs to be picked from the qualifying round and the final pots determined by UEFA ranking.
So far, seven of eight sides have been confirmed in Pot Three, with no limits imposed by City.
They will face one of the following teams: Borussia Dortmund, Red Bull Salzburg, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Napoli, Sporting CP, or Bayer Leverkusen, plus one more.
Marseille has qualified but can still be placed in Pot Three or Four, while Club Brugge and Celtic are the only two teams who have been confirmed for Pot Four.
Potential opponents in the qualifying rounds may include Rangers, Benfica, Dynamo Kyiv, PSV Eindhoven, or Monaco.
The Group Stage draw will take conducted on Thursday, August 25.
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Man City’s Champions League group seeding and possible opponents set after Liverpool UCL final defeat
