Man City face nightmare Champions League group despite being in Pot 1 for draw with Barcelona among possible opponents
MANCHESTER CITY could face a nightmare Champions League Group of Death with THREE former winners in tomorrow's draw - despite being in Pot 1.
Pep Guardiola's side are rewarded with a place in the top Champions League pot after winning the Premier League, while fellow English sides Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham are in Pot 2.
The Citizens have never won Europe’s top competition - losing the 2021 final and then crashing out in spectacular fashion to eventual champions Real Madrid last year.
Thankfully for Guardiola, they cannot be pitted against the holders in a repeat of their semi-final as the Spanish and European champs are also in Pot 1.
The addition of Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco makes Los Blancos an even stronger side as they look to land a record-extending 15th crown.
Joining City and Real in Pot 1 are Europa League champs Eintracht Frankfurt as well as Uefa's No1-ranked club Bayern Munich and fellow league winners AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Porto and Ajax - with no Russian teams allowed.
City cannot face compatriots Chelsea, Liverpool or Tottenham but Pot 2's standout name is five-time winners Barcelona.
The Catalan giants brought in Robert Lewandowski to spearhead their attack while Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Raphinha and Jules Kounde also joined despite their financial woes.
Pot 2 is stacked with plenty of dangerous teams, though, with City at risk of facing Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla or RB Leipzig.
Arguably the strongest team in Pot 3 are Inter Milan.
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The Nerazzurri have lifted the European Cup three times and have signed Romelu Lukaku, Andre Onana, Robin Gosens, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Joaquin Correa this summer.
The teams in Pot 3 are now all confirmed - with Benfica sealing their spot by seeing off Dynamo Kyiv in their play-off on Tuesday.
Borussia Dortmund, Red Bull Salzburg, Napoli and Sporting Lisbon are among the remaining big hitters in Pot 3 with the Germans having the highest Uefa coefficient.
And to complete the Group of Death, Manchester City could have to play Marseille.
The 1993 winners are guaranteed their spot in the Champions League group stages after finishing second in Ligue 1 last term - and would total 28 victories alongside Real and Inter.
The additions of Alexis Sanchez and Nuno Tavares as well as permanent deals for Pau Torres, Matteo Guendouzi and Cengiz Under make Les Phoceens a real threat.
Benfica's qualification meant Marseille were demoted to Pot 4 to join Celtic, Club Brugge, Viktoria Plzen and Maccabi Haifa.
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The remaining three spots will be filled tonight through the final play-off round between Rangers and PSV Eindhoven, Copenhagen and Trabzonspor and Dinamo Zagreb and Bodo/Glimt with the losers dropping into the Europa League.
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City will find out their opponents with the draw taking place in Istanbul - where the 2023 final will be played - at 5pm on Thursday.
- Pot 1: Real Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, MAN CITY, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, PSG, Porto, Ajax
- Pot 2: CHELSEA, LIVERPOOL, TOTTENHAM, Barcelona, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, RB Leipzig
- Pot 3: Borussia Dortmund, Red Bull Salzburg, Shakhtar Donetsk, Napoli, Inter Milan, Sporting Lisbon, Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen
- Pot 4: Celtic, Club Brugge, Marseille, Maccabi Haifa, Viktoria Plzen, Rangers OR PSV Eindhoven, Copenhagen OR Trabzonspor, Dinamo Zagreb or Bodo/Glimt
