Arsenal will learn their opponents for the league phase of the Champions League this week. The draw takes place on Thursday evening in Monaco. It will again be a 36-team league phase, with clubs facing two teams from each of the four pots.
Top Seeds and Possible Rematches
Arsenal are one of the top seeds for this season's competition. Manchester City and Liverpool are also in Pot 1, but teams cannot play clubs from the same country in the league phase. That means Arsenal have six possible opponents for their two fixtures against Pot 1 clubs.
PSG are one of those, in what would be a repeat of last season's final in Budapest. There is a strong chance Arsenal face a Spanish side, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid all options as well.
Potential opponents: PSG, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid.
Pot 2 and 3 Possibilities
With Manchester United and Aston Villa both in Pot 2, Arsenal's opponent list is again limited. There could be a swift reunion with Club Brugge for Christos Tzolis, while Arsenal could also go up against Sporting after beating them in the quarter-finals last year. The pre-season preparations could also prove useful, as the Gunners faced Borussia Dortmund and Real Betis over the summer, and both are waiting as possible Pot 2 opponents.
Potential opponents: Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting, Porto, Club Brugge, Real Betis, PSV.
Seven of the nine Pot 3 clubs have been confirmed, with one other spot to be finalised after the play-off tie between Lyon and Fenerbahce. There are no English clubs in this pot, so Arsenal could play any two of these sides. That might mean a trip to Stamford Bridge, as Shakhtar Donetsk will play their home matches in west London after Chelsea failed to qualify for European football this season.
Potential opponents: Feyenoord, Lille, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, Fenerbahce/Lyon.
Pot 4 and Unconfirmed Spots
Only three clubs are confirmed in the bottom pot as it stands. That includes Cesc Fabregas's Como side, who Arsenal also faced in pre-season earlier this month. The Italian side have qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history. Stuttgart and Lens are also guaranteed to be in this pot, while there is the potential of a very lengthy trip to face Azerbaijani side Sabah.
Potential opponents: Stuttgart, Como, Lens, Hapoel Be'er Sheva/Sabah, Levski Sofia/AEK Athens, Slovan Bratislava/Celje.
Could be Pot 3 or Pot 4: Slavia Prague, NEC Nijmegen/Bodo/Glimt, Dinamo Zagreb/Viking, Celtic/LASK.
