Champions League draw: Chelsea's possible league stage opponents

Chelsea Football Club is set to make a triumphant return to the UEFA Champions League after a two-year hiatus, following their victory in the Conference League. With the competition adopting a revamped league phase format, the Blues will discover their eight opponents in the draw scheduled for tomorrow starting at 5pm BST.

This new structure replaces the traditional group stage, pitting all 36 participating teams against each other in a single league table, where each club plays eight matches—four at home and four away.

Under the updated format, teams are divided into four pots based on UEFA coefficients. Chelsea finds itself in Pot 1, ranked 14th overall in Europe, which positions them among some of the continent's elite.

Each team will be drawn against two opponents from every pot, including their own, ensuring a balanced mix of challenges. However, the draw incorporates specific rules to maintain fairness: clubs cannot face domestic rivals from the same country during this phase, so Chelsea will avoid Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, and Manchester City. Additionally, no team can be paired with more than two opponents from any single national association.

Chelsea's Pot Placement and Possible Opponents

As a Pot 1 side, Chelsea could encounter a range of formidable teams across the pots. Here's a breakdown of potential matchups based on the current pot compositions (noting that final pots will be confirmed after the play-off ties conclude this week):

• Pot 1 Opponents: Chelsea might draw from powerhouses like Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and Barcelona. These include the current holders PSG—whom Chelsea defeated in last month's Club World Cup final—and perennial contenders like Real Madrid and Bayern.
• Pot 2 Opponents: From this group, the Blues could face teams such as Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, and Eintracht Frankfurt, blending Bundesliga efficiency with Spanish and Italian flair.
• Pot 3 Opponents: Potential draws include PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Bodø/Glimt, and Marseille, offering a mix of emerging threats and established European performers.
• Pot 4 Opponents: Chelsea's fixtures from the lowest pot might involve Monaco, Galatasaray, Union Saint-Gilloise, Athletic Club, Pafos, and Kairat, which could provide opportunities for high-scoring encounters or trips to less familiar territories.

The draw process itself will be largely computerized to handle the complexity of scheduling over 300 fixtures, moving away from the manual ball-picking of previous years.

Dream and Nightmare Scenarios for Chelsea

While the luck of the draw plays a significant role, fans are already speculating on ideal and worst-case outcomes. A "dream" draw for Chelsea might look like this, featuring more manageable ties:

• Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund (Pot 1)
• Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen (Pot 2)
• Sporting CP and Slavia Prague (Pot 3)
• Union Saint-Gilloise (USG) and Kairat (Pot 4)

This combination could allow the Blues to build momentum with winnable games while still testing their mettle against quality opposition.

Conversely, a "nightmare" scenario could ramp up the difficulty:

• Real Madrid and Bayern Munich (Pot 1)
• Atletico Madrid and Atalanta (Pot 2)
• Napoli and Marseille (Pot 3)
• Galatasaray and Monaco (Pot 4)

Such a lineup would thrust Chelsea into early battles against some of Europe's most decorated clubs, potentially complicating their path to the knockout stages.

League Phase Schedule

Once the draw is complete, UEFA will announce exact fixture dates and kick-off times. The league phase will unfold across eight matchdays, as follows:

Chelsea's return to the Champions League promises excitement, with the new format adding an element of unpredictability. As the draw approaches, all eyes will be on Monaco, where the fates of Europe's top clubs will be decided.