UEFA Champions League draw: Barcelona, Liverpool group of death
The Champions League 2020/21 group stage draw will take place on Thursday October 1, 2020 and we take a look at some possible groups of death for clubs, including Barcelona and Liverpool.
Champions League 2020/21 group stage draw live online
The Champions League 2020/21 group stage draw will take place on Thursday October 1, 2020 and we now know the 32 sides who will compete in this year's competition. The group stages start with games on Tuesday October 20 and Wednesday October 21.
How does the draw work?
- The 26 teams given direct entry to the group stage were joined by the six winners of the play-off ties decided on Tuesday and Wednesday.
- The teams will be split into four seeding pots. Pot 1 consists of the holders, the UEFA Europa League winners and the champions of the six highest-ranked nations who did not qualify via one of the 2019/20 titles. Pots 2 to 4 are determined by the club coefficient rankings.
- No team can play a club from their own association.
- In the case of associations with two representatives, clubs have been paired in order to split their matches between Tuesday and Wednesday. In the case of associations with four representatives, two pairings were made. These pairings were based on TV audiences.
Which clubs are paired?
To ensure that paired clubs from the same country play on separate days where possible, the eight groups will be distinguished by colour: Groups A to D will be red and Groups E to H will be blue. When a paired club is drawn in one of the red groups (A, B, C or D), the other paired club will automatically be assigned to one of the four blue groups (E, F, G or H). The pairings:
A Bayern & Dortmund
B Sevilla & Atlético de Madrid
C Real Madrid & Barcelona
D Liverpool & Man. United
E Juventus & Inter
F Paris & Marseille
G Zenit & Lokomotiv
H Man. City & Chelsea
I Shakhtar & Dynamo Kyiv
J RB Leipzig & Mönchengladbach
K Lazio & Atalanta
Bavarian giants and defending champions Bayern Munich are in Pot 1 ahead of the draw with the pots composed by UEFA club coefficients.
The four pots
Pot 1: Real Madrid, Sevilla, Bayern, PSG, Liverpool, Juventus, Zenit and FC Porto.
Pot 2: Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Manchester United, Dortmund, Shakhtar, Ajax and Chelsea.
Pot 3: Inter, Lazio, Atalanta, Leipzig, Dynamo Kiev, Krasnodar, Salzburg and Olympiacos.
Pot 4: Rennes, Ferencvaros, Basaksehir, B. Mönchengladbach, Marseille, Club Brugge, Midtjylland and Lokomotive Moscow.
Possible groups of death
AS English have taken a look at the possible worst case scenarios for some clubs. Premier League champions Liverpool could find themselves drawn against Barcelona or Atlético Madrid, who beat them in the quarter-finals of last season’s competition. Reigning champions Bayern Munich are in pot 1 and could once again find themselves facing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, their 1999 Champions League final nightmare, of Manchester United in pot 2.
Lazio striker Ciro Immobile will be a threat to any side in this year's competition. Rennes' midfield wonderkid Eduardo Camavinga – wanted by Real Madrid – could light up the Ligue 1 side's group this winter. Our Group C has no standout winner and is it totally up for grabs. Sevilla are the Europa League experts, having won their sixth title in 14 years this year, when they beat Inter in an enthralling final.
Group A
Liverpool, Barcelona, Inter, Borussia Monchengladbach
Group B
Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Lazio, Rennes
Group C
Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Rennes
Group D
Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Inter, Marseille
When will fixtures be confirmed?
The full fixture list for the group stage will be revealed on Friday evening after taking into account the calendars of participating clubs.
2020/21 group stage match dates
Matchday 1: 20/21 October
Matchday 2: 27/28 October
Matchday 3: 3/4 November
Matchday 4: 24/25 November
Matchday 5: 1/2 December
Matchday 6: 8/9 December
Speaking ahead of the draw taking place, Carlos de Pena, Dynamo Kyiv winger, said: "I want to get one or two top clubs in our group. Such a great challenge will give us the chance to make history. I'd love to play against a Spanish side or a team with Uruguayan players."
What time does the Champions League group stage draw start?
The balls will be drawn for the 2020-21 Champions League group stage draw on Thursday 1 October at 17:00 (CEST) as part of a UEFA gala event that will also see a series of UEFA awards announced.