The group stage draw is not too far away and Goal brings you everything you need to know ahead of the ceremony
Liverpool will soon get their Champions League defence under way, with the group stage draw set to take place this August.
Jurgen Klopp’s side will face a stern challenge from Europe’s usual suspects, with the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus expected to mount a serious assault to get their hands on the trophy.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will continue their hunt for the silverware that has eluded them, while Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will aim to bring it back to Germany for the first time since 2013.
As the teams get ready to find out which group they will be in, Goal brings you everything you need to know about the draw.
When is the Champions League group stage draw?
The draw for the 2019-20 Champions League group stage will take place on Thursday August 29, 2019.
Draw proceedings are scheduled to begin at 5pm BST (12 noon ET).
It will be held in Monaco at the Grimaldi Forum, which has become a traditional venue for UEFA draws and events in recent years.
How to watch the Champions League group stage draw
The Champions League group stage draw can be watched live on UEFA’s website, which can be accessed worldwide by clicking here.
In the UK it can also be followed on BT Sport, who will also be streaming it live on the BT Sport app.
Goal will also be covering the draw as it happens on our live blog, bringing you all the news, fixtures and reaction.
Which teams are in the Champions League group stage draw?
The Champions League group stage draw will involve 32 teams, who will be divided into eight groups of four.
Twenty-six teams qualify automatically for the group stage, with the remaining six spaces taken up by those who came through the qualification stage.
Teams are seeded in four pots based on their UEFA coefficient, which you can see below.
*Pot TBC.
Pot One is made up of the Champions League and Europa League winners – Liverpool and Chelsea – as well as the champions of the top six associations.
Joining Liverpool and Chelsea in Pot One are Barcelona, Manchester City, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Zenit.
The likes of Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham are in Pot Two, while Inter, Bayer Leverkusen and Valencia are among the teams in Pot Three.
RB Leipzig, Galatasaray and Atalanta are among the eight in Pot Four. Of course, this season there are some notable absentees, including Manchester United, Arsenal, Roma and Celtic.
How does the draw work?
Teams are drawn from each pot and placed into groups A to H.
It should be noted that teams from the same national association cannot be drawn in the same group together. So, despite Barcelona being in Pot One and Real Madrid being in Pot Two, we will not see a group stage Clasico.
The exact draw procedure will be confirmed by UEFA ahead of the ceremony.
When do the Champions League group stage games start?
The 2019-20 Champions League group stage kicks off on September 17 and 18, 2019.
Group stage games will continue for a total of six matchdays, with teams playing each other home and away.
The dates for matchday six – the final round of group stage matches – are December 10 and 11.
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