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The balls are set to plucked from UEFA’s plush pots as the Champions League groups are decided via another elaborate, over-the-top ceremony.
All 32 teams competing in the group stage dream of reaching next year’s final at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, the setting for Liverpool’s famous comeback against AC Milan in the 2005 showpiece.
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Real Madrid are the defending champions after beating the Merseysiders in last season’s final and the Spanish capital club are bidding to win a record-extending 15th title.
You’ll find everything you need to know about the Champions League 2022/23 group stage draw including the date, start time and seeding pots below.
When is the Champions League group stage draw?
Date: Thursday, August 25, 2022
Time: 5pm IST/BST
Venue: Halic Congress Center, Istanbul
It’s set to be a pretty lengthy ceremony – aren’t they always – as UEFA bigwigs will present prizes to last season’s best players in the competition before the draw is actually conducted.
Which teams have qualified for the Champions League?
Pot 1: Real Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Manchester City, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Porto, Ajax
Pot 2: Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, RB Leipzig, Tottenham
Pot 3: Borussia Dortmund, Salzburg, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter, Napoli, Sporting CP, Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica
Pot 4: Club Brugge, Celtic, Maccabi Haifa, Viktoria Plzen, Marseille, Rangers, Dinamo Zagreb, FC Copenhagen
What are the Champions League groups?
Group A: Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, Rangers
Group B: Porto, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Club Brugge
Group C: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Viktoria Plzen
Group D: Frankfurt, Spurs, Sporting, Marseille
Group E: AC Milan, Chelsea, Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb
Group F: Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic
Group G: Man City, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, FC Copenhagen
Group H: PSG, Juventus, Benfica, Maccabi Haifa
The 26 automatic qualifiers and six play-off winners will compete in the Champions League group stage. Due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian teams have been banned from the competition. The teams will be split into four groups of eight, with one from each pot, and no club can play another from their own association.
When are the Champions League group fixtures?
Matchday 1: 6/7 September
Matchday 2: 13/14 September
Matchday 3: 4/5 October
Matchday 4: 11/12 October
Matchday 5: 25/26 October
Matchday 6: 1/2 November
The top two teams in each group advance to the round of 16, while the third-placed sides drop into the Europa League knockout stage, where they will face Europa League group runners-up in a bid to reach the last 16 of the second-tier competition.
Who are the favourites to win the Champions League?
Paddy Power’s top traders have priced up a betting market for the Outright Winner of the Champions League 2022/23 and you can see the latest prices for the favourites via our snazzy widgets below.
Manchester City have repeatedly fallen short in Europe over the years but they are the favourites to win this season’s competition.
Liverpool will aim to go one better after last season’s near miss but Jurgen Klopp’s team have endured a wretched start to the new Premier League campaign.
Kylian Mbappe’s PSG have failed to conquer Europe since their mega-money takeover and Christophe Galtier is the latest man in the hotseat tasked with steering them to glory.
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