Champions League group stage draw: final places at stake
With almost all the required clubs already secure in the knowledge that they will feature in the draw, fans can start wishing for their preferred opponents.
The highly anticipated draw to decide the Champions League groups for the upcoming season will take place on Thursday 29 August 2019 at 18:00 CEST. We already know most of the sides that will be involved with others still to qualify or find out who they will be placed alongside.
Top ranked Real Madrid in Pot 2
From the Spanish big boys only Barcelona sit within Pot 1, with Real Madrid (who still lead the UEFA rankings) and Atlético likely to face a tougher test from their places in Pot 2. There are, however, three representatives in the top seedings from the English Premier League, where holders Liverpool are joined by Europa League winners Chelsea and domestic champions Manchester City. Last year's runners up, Tottenham Hotspur, take their place alongside the Madrid giants.
There is still one spot in Pot 2 to be decided. If Ajax win their playoff against APOEL then it will be the Dutch side that completes the list. If not, already qualified French side Lyon will slot themselves in to a more favourable position.
Confirmed places for Champions League group stage draw 2019/20
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| Liverpool | Real Madrid | Leverkusen | Galatasaray |
| Chelsea | Atlético Madrid | Valencia | RB Leipzig |
| Barcelona | Borussia Dortmund | Salzburg | Atalanta |
| Man City | Napoli | Inter Milan | Lille |
| Juventus | Shakhtar | Olympiacos | Cluj or Slavia |
| Bayern Munich | Tottenham | GNK Dinamo | |
| PSG | Benfica | ||
| Zenit | |||
And Pot 3 is almost decided too. Lyon will drop in (if Ajax progress) and they will be alongside GNK Dinamo and Olympiacos who claimed their place after beating Rosenburg and Krasnodar in their respective play-offs, and could be joined by Brugge if they qualify.
Clubs aiming for Pots 2, 3 and 4
| )Pot 2 or 3 |
| (Ajax) |
| Lyon |
| Pot 3 or 4 |
| Lokomotiv |
| (APOEL) |
| Genk |
In brackets, teams still in the qualifying round.
There are three teams that could find themselves in either Pot 3 or 4 come the big draw. They are, in order: Lokomotiv Moscow, APOEL and Genk. The Russians and Belgians are already guaranteed a place in the event, but the Cypriot side still have work to do to earn their ticket.
The final pot sees Galatasaray, Leipzig, Atalanta, Lille, Red Star and Rosenburg awaiting two more. That will be made up of the winner of the tie between Cluj and Slavia Praha as well as LASK if they overcome Club Brugge.
UEFA ranking Top 10
| Position | Club | Points |
| 1 | Real Madrid | 146,000 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 138,000 |
| 3 | Bayern Munich | 128,000 |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 127,000 |
| 5 | Juventus | 124,000 |
| 6 | Man City | 106,000 |
| 7 | Sevilla | 104,000 |
| 8 | PSG | 103,000 |
| 9 | Arsenal | 101,000 |
| 10 | Porto | 93,000 |
In italics, clubs not participating in the Champions League 2019/20.
As always, you will be able to follow all the fun of the UEFA draw live with AS English.
Final qualifying ties (home and away)
(Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 28 Aug)
LASK vs Bruges (first leg 0-1)
APOEL vs Ajax (first leg 0-0)
CFR Cluj vs Slavia Praha (first leg 0-1)
(Wednesday 21 and Tuesday 27 Aug)
Olympiacos beat Krasnodar 6-2 on aggregate
Red Star beat Young Boys on away goal (3-3 aggregate)
GNK Dinamo beat Rosenborg 3-1 on aggregate