BRACE yourselves football fans as the Champions League group stage draw is just WEEKS away – and there will be some intriguing match-ups.
Real Madrid held their nerve to beat a six-time winners Liverpool in a tense final last season.
But the time has come for the biggest teams around Europe to compete for this prestigious trophy once again.
Find out all you need to know about the group stage draw below…
When is the Champions League group stage draw?
The group stage draw for the iconic tournament is set to take place on Thursday, August 25.
It is scheduled to get underway from 4pm UK time – 6pm local time.
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Istanbul, Turkey will be the city where the draw is being hosted which is also where the final is expected to be played and hosted the 2021 Champions League conclusion.
Will the Champions League group stage draw be on TV and can I live stream it?
- The Champions League draw will be broadcasted LIVE on BT Sport
- Subscription members of BT Sport can also stream all the action via the BT Sport app or the BT Sport website.
- But BT Sport YouTube are expected to be covering the draw for FREE to give all users access.
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What are the pots?
There are four pots for the Champions League group stage draw which are then allocated into groups of eight.
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 Hotspur
Pot 3: Borussia Dortmund, Red Bull Salzburg, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter, Napoli, Sporting CP, Bayer Leverkusen
Pot 4: Club Brugge, Celtic
Remaining pot spaces to be completed after qualifying rounds
How does the draw work?
The draw features 32 teams: 26 teams given direct entry to the group stage and the six winners of the play-off ties.
The first pot is made up of the champions from the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, Primeira Liga as well as the Champions League and Europa League winners.
Real Madrid won the Champions League last season which is why the champions of the seventh-ranked league (Ajax) have earned a spot in Pot 1.
Pots 2, 3 and 4 are then determined by the UEFA club coefficient – something that is decided on how well the teams in each league do.
No team can play a side from their own association. Any other restrictions will be announced ahead of the draw.
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