The Champions League draw is set to take place today, and Arsenal will find out their opponents for eight league-phase games over the coming months.
This is the first edition of the new format of the Champions League, with revamped rules and structures meaning that instead of a traditional group stage, a “Swiss format” with a giant league table of all 36 teams will be implemented.
Teams will be drawn using AI instead of a traditional draw, and they will be ranked into four separate pots based on their UEFA coefficient.
There will be eight matches instead of six, meaning that Mikel Arteta will have to get his rotation spot on as the fixtures pile up for his side.
In these eight matches, Arsenal will face eight different opponents, with four Champions League games at home and four away.
The opponents will be evenly selected, with two drawn from each pot, meaning that Arsenal will face two teams in the same pot as them, which was not the case in previous years.
Arsenal placed in pot two for Champions League draw
Based on coefficient rankings, Arsenal have been placed in pot two of the draw, having reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season.
Arsenal will be drawn against two of these opponents, with one home tie and one away tie drawn.
Pot one contains some of Europe’s toughest teams, but Arsenal cannot face Liverpool or Manchester City.
Pot one
- Manchester City
- Bayern Munich
- Real Madrid
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Liverpool
- Inter
- Borussia Dortmund
- RB Leipzig
- Barcelona
There are nine teams in each pot, and Arsenal will be able to face any of the other eight teams in pot two, as the only English side in this group.
Pot two
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Atletico Madrid
- Atalanta
- Juventus
- Benfica
- Club Brugge
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- AC Milan
Pot three contains familiar opposition in PSV Eindhoven and Sporting Club De Portugal, and Arsenal can face anyone in this selection.
Pot three
- Feyenoord
- Sporting CP
- PSV Eindhoven
- Dinamo Zagreb
- RB Salzburg
- Lille
- Crvena Zvezda
- Young Boys
- Celtic
Arsenal can face anyone in pot four apart from Aston Villa, whom they beat at the weekend.
Pot four
- Slovan Bratislava
- AS Monaco
- Sparta Praha
- Aston Villa
- Bologna
- Girona
- Stuttgart
- Sturm Graz
- Stade Brestois
Who are the teams Arsenal should look out for in pot two?
Arsenal are one of the strongest teams in pot two, but there are some tough opponents and potential away trips in this selection.
German Champions Bayer Leverkusen will be the ones to watch, and this could potentially see Granit Xhaka return to the Emirates. Arsenal did thrash Leverkusen 4-1 in pre-season, but this will be a very different test.
Europa League winners Atlanta, who beat Leverkusen in the final, will be no easy match, especially if they keep Arsenal target Ademola Lookman at the club.
Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus all have a lot of history in the competition, and Arsenal have faced all three in Europe before.
Benfica, Club Brugge, and Shakhtar Donetsk are the lesser-fancied sides in the pot, but all three would provide tough away trips, and Arsenal would have to be at their best to win.
How to watch the Champions League 24/25 draw
There are several ways in which the Champions League draw can be watched on August 29th, which is scheduled to begin at 5pm (BST).
UEFA’s official website and YouTube channels are set to display it for free, along with TNT Sports and the BBC on the BBC iPlayer.
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