The UEFA Champions League group stage draw is a fascinating event. 24 teams from across Europe gather their representatives at a single venue, with the vast majority of them praying for one thing. In the group stage, no one wants to face Bayern Munich. This is a team that has not lost a UCL group game since 2017, an unbeaten streak that is so long there are some Bayern fans who have never seen their team lose in the group stage.
This year, with the return of some old names and a few new faces on the block, the Champions League promises a scintillating group stage that is set to be the last in this traditional format, before changes take effect from 2024-25.
So, who will Bayern Munich get?
How it works
The teams are grouped into 4 pots, with Pot 1 reserved for the reigning UCL title holders, the champions of the top 6 leagues, and the reigning Europa League holders. Pots 2 to 4 will consist of the rest, grouped according to UEFA coefficients.
Each group will consist of one team from each pot teams from the same country cannot be drawn against each other. Heres what the pots look like right now:
Pot 1: Manchester City, Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona, Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain, Feyenoord, Benfica, Sevilla
Pot 2: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, RB Leipzig, Porto
Pot 3: Shakhtar Donetsk, Red Bull Salzburg, AC Milan, Lazio, Red Star Belgrade, Braga
Pot 4:Newcastle United, Union Berlin, Lens, Real Sociedad, Celtic, Galatasaray
The final teams of Pots 3 and 4 will be decided after the qualifiers conclude on Wednesday night.
Easiest draw
Looking at the pots so far, the easiest draw for Bayern Munich would probably be some combination of the following:
Pot 2: PortoPot 3: Shakhtar DonetskPot 4: Galatasaray
Teams like Antwerp, Copenhagen, or Rangers could knock Galatasaray out of that Pot 4 slot realistically though, it doesnt change much. Bayern Munich would be expected to waltz out of a group like this, with the rest of the teams knowing from the start that theyre fighting for 2nd place.
Its too bad that FC Barcelona won the league last year, it wouldve been nice to continue the annual tradition of a double FCB header in the groups.
Lewandowski is not amused.
Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images
Hardest draw
Of course the above isnt really what the Champions League is about. So, here is what could be one of the toughest possible draws for Bayern Munich, which obviously promises a ton of excitement but also brings with it the pressure to deliver.
Here is what the hardest possible draw could be:
Pot 2: Real MadridPot 3: AC MilanPot 4: Newcastle United
Thats a bona-fide group of death. Still, Bayern Munich would be one of the favorites to advance, but Thomas Tuchel would not be able to afford any slip ups. Each and every single matchday would be packed with incredible clashes and sky-high drama.
However, its the kind of draw that is liable to make fans nervous, since the current team has plenty of weaknesses and the chances of missing out on the Ro16 become very real when all the games are must-wins.
A balance
Lets put the high drama aside for a second and think about the the narrative. A group that is relatively balanced, with a few key favorites but also plenty of room for surprises that seems like the best for fans and neutrals alike.
So, with that in mind, heres what a balanced group could look like:
Pot 2: Arsenal or Manchester UnitedPot 3: RB SalzburgPot 4: Celtic
Now while Bayern would still be heavy favorites, this would be a great group to watch from game to game. The opponents are close enough to each other in level to have some thrilling games, but this would still be a group where Bayern Munich should win most games and qualify from.
Who do you want Bayern to face in the CL group this year? Comment below!