Last year's semi-finalist Ajax completed the lineup for the group stage draw of the UEFA Champions League 2019-20. Their 2-0 win over APOEL coupled with wins for Club Brugge and Slavia Prague carried them into the draw that will be conducted in Monaco. Liverpool enter the draw as the defending champions having beaten Tottenham in the final last season.
UEFA Champions League draw will be conducted for the group stage in Monaco. Reuters
Liverpool lead the English lineup of teams in the 32-club draw that also features Manchester City, Europa League winners Chelsea and Tottenham.
A familiar group of national champions from Europe's top leagues completes the top-seeded pot: Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and, back after a three-year gap, Zenit St. Petersburg.
UEFA's seeding for pots 2 to 4 grades teams by their Champions League and Europa League results in the previous five years. Last season, Liverpool and Ajax both emerged from pot No. 3. Of 11 former European champions in the draw, four will come from the pot of second-seeded teams: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax and Benfica. Third-seeded teams include Salzburg, which is entering the group stage for the first time in 24 years.
Atalanta from Italy makes its Champions League debut as a dangerous outsider among low-ranked teams. Leipzig and Lille, the French runner-up, are also teams from Europe's big five leagues which landed in pot No. 4. Leipzig can be in the same group as Salzburg due to UEFA deciding two years ago there was no conflict of ownership interest after Red Bull cut some ties to the Austrian club.
UEFA restrictions in the draw prevent teams from the same country being in the same group, and keeps Russian and Ukrainian teams apart due to political tensions. That rule was imposed in 2014 after Russia annexed the Crimea region from Ukraine.
Draw pots
Pot 1: Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester City, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Zenit St. Petersburg.
Pot 2: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Shakhtar Donetsk, Tottenham, Ajax, Benfica.
Pot 3: Lyon, Bayer Leverkusen, Salzburg, Olympiakos, Club Brugge, Valencia, Inter Milan, Dinamo Zagreb.
Pot 4: Lokomotiv Moscow, Genk, Galatasaray, Leipzig, Slavia Prague, Red Star Belgrade, Atalanta, Lille.
What time is the UEFA Champions League draw?
UEFA's one-hour draw ceremony begins at 6 PM local time/4 PM GMT/9.30 PM IST. It includes awards presented to the best men's and women's players in European football last season.
Where is the UEFA Champions League draw?
The UEFA Champions League draw will be conducted in Monaco. The group stage draws are conducted in Monaco while that for other rounds is done at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon.
Which TV channels will broadcast the UEFA Champions League draw live?
UEFA Champions League draw will be broadcast live on Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 2 HD.
Where can the UEFA Champions League draw be live-streamed?
The coverage will also be available on SonyLiv app and UEFA.com. It can also be tracked on Firstpost.com.
(With inputs from AP)
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/2L1TTd7
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