Champions League group stage draw 2018/19: When is it, what what time does it start, TV channel, online stream, who’s in what pot?

Liverpool, Manchester United, City and Tottenham will all learn their European fate

Thursday 30 August 2018 16:57 BST
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2017/18 Champions League top scorers

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It’s back. A new season means the return of the Champions League, with football’s greatest club competition set to kick-off in September.

Real Madrid are the defending champions after beating a Mohamed Salah-less Liverpool 3-1 in last season’s final in Kiev, to win the tournament for the third year in a row. But with both manager Zinedine Zidane and star player Cristiano Ronaldo since leaving the club, they will likely be up against it this year.

The bookmakers’ favourites are currently reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, who reached the quarter-finals last season only to be eliminated by Liverpool. European powerhouses Juventus and Barcelona will also be among the contenders.

But before we can start thinking about the potential winners we must first turn our attention to the group stage. Here’s everything you need to know about the draw and how it works.

When does the draw take place?

The draw will take place on Thursday 30 August. Uefa has announced that coverage of the draw will begin at 5pm BST.

Where is it?

In everybody’s favourite international tax haven: Monaco.

Monaco: nice!
Monaco: nice! (Getty)

Where can I watch it?

The draw will be shown live on the Uefa website. It will also be shown on BT Sport, with coverage beginning at 4.30pm.

Which club is in which pot?

* Denotes teams whose pot is yet to be determined.

Pot One:

Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Lokomotiv Moskow

The champions are in pot one
The champions are in pot one (AFP/Getty Images)

Pot Two:

Borussia Dortmund, Porto, Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Napoli, Tottenham Hotspur, Roma, Benfica.

Liverpool find themselves in pot three
Liverpool find themselves in pot three (Getty)

Pot Three:

Liverpool, Schalke, Lyon, AS Monaco, Ajax, CSKA Moscow, PSV Eindhoven, Valencia.

Monaco are a tough team in pot three (AFP/Getty)
Monaco are a tough team in pot three (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

Pot Four:

Viktoria Plzen, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Young Boys, Inter Milan, Hoffenheim, Red Star Belgrade, AEK Athens

Inter Milan are down in pot four
Inter Milan are down in pot four (Getty)

TBC:

Three play-off winners

What’s happening with the play-off rounds?

Remaining second-leg qualification matches:

  • Red Star Belgrade (0) vs (0) Red Bull Salzburg
  • BATE Borisov (2) vs (3) PSV Eindhoven
  • Benfica (1) vs (1) PAOK
It's almost time for the Champions League draw
It's almost time for the Champions League draw (Getty)

Who are the favourites to win the tournament?

  • 5/1: Manchester City
  • 6/1: Juventus
  • 7/1: Barcelona
  • 8/1: Paris Saint-Germain
  • 9/1: Bayern Munich
  • 9/1: Real Madrid
  • 10/1: Liverpool
  • 12/1: Atletico Madrid
  • 14/1: Manchester United
  • 25/1: Tottenham Hotspur
  • 33/1: Napoli
  • 50/1: Inter Milan

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