UEFA Champions League 2008/09 draw

• Author: admin
• Filed under: Champions League
• Date: Aug 28,2008

THE draw for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League takes place this afternoon at 17.00 UK in Monaco.

Thirty-two clubs enter Europe’s top club competition and although all roads lead to Rome only two teams will eventually make it to the final in Italy’s capital city on May 27, 2009.

Defending champions Manchester United are again one of four Premier League sides represented in the draw, along with last year’s beaten finalists Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool who came through qualifying on Wednesday night.

All four English sides are among the top seeds as the clubs are divided into four pots in accordance with UEFA’s co-efficient ranking. The draw will comprise eight groups of four teams, with one team from each of the four seeding pots placed in each group.

Teams cannot draw opponents from the same seeded pots, or from the same country.

• The draw takes place on Thursday, August 28. The ceremony begins at 17.00 BST.

Pot 1
Manchester United (ENG)
Chelsea (ENG)
Liverpool (ENG)
FC Barcelona (ESP)
Arsenal (ENG)
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)
Internazionale (ITA)
Real Madrid CF (ESP)

Pot 2
Bayern Munich (GER)
PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Villarreal (ESP)
AS Roma (ITA)
FC Porto (POR)
Werder Bremen (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR)
Juventus (ITA)

Pot 3
Marseille (FRA)
Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS)
Steaua Bucharest (ROU)
Panathinaikos (GRE)
Bordeaux (FRA)
Celtic (SCO)
FC Basel (SUI)
Fenerbahce (TUR)

Pot 4
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
Fiorentina (ITA)
Atlético Madrid (ESP)
Dynamo Kiev (UKR)
CFR 1907 Cluj (ROU)
Aalborg BK (DEN)
Anorthosis Famagusta (CYP)
FC BATE Borisov (BLR)