Arsenal are bracing for another demanding campaign in Europe's premier club competition, with Thursday's Champions League draw in Monaco set to determine their path through the newly established league phase format. The Gunners, who reached last season's final only to fall to Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest, could find themselves facing the French champions once again as they navigate a 36-team system requiring two fixtures against sides from each of four seeding pots.
Mikel Arteta's side enter the competition as one of the top seeds, occupying Pot 1 alongside domestic rivals Manchester City and Liverpool. However, UEFA's regulations prevent clubs from the same nation meeting during the league phase, narrowing Arsenal's potential opponents from that top tier to six clubs. PSG remain the standout name, but Arsenal could equally be drawn against Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, or one of three Spanish heavyweights in Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid.
The presence of Manchester United and Aston Villa in Pot 2 similarly restricts Arsenal's options in that bracket to seven possible opponents. Intriguingly, two of those sides—Borussia Dortmund and Real Betis—were faced by Arsenal during pre-season friendlies over the summer, meaning Arteta's squad already has recent exposure to their style of play should either be drawn. Other Pot 2 possibilities include Roma, Sporting, Porto, Club Brugge, and PSV. The Belgian outfit Club Brugge carries additional intrigue given Arsenal's summer signing of winger Christos Tzolis from the club.
Pot 3 presents a broader spread of options since no English clubs occupy that tier, leaving Arsenal open to a draw against any two of the nine sides expected to feature. Confirmed names include Feyenoord, Lille, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Galatasaray, while the final berth hinges on the outcome of a play-off between Fenerbahce and Lyon. Notably, a tie against Shakhtar Donetsk would take Arsenal to an unfamiliar venue on home soil—Stamford Bridge—where the Ukrainian club will host their European fixtures this season after Chelsea's failure to qualify for continental football left the ground available.
The bottom tier, Pot 4, remains only partially confirmed at this stage, with three clubs locked in: Stuttgart, Lens, and Como. The Italian side, guided by Cesc Fabregas, are preparing for their first-ever Champions League campaign and also crossed paths with Arsenal during pre-season training. Should fortune place them together again, it would mark a rapid reunion between the two clubs. Other potential Pot 4 opponents include Hapoel Be'er Sheva or Sabah, Levski Sofia or AEK Athens, and Slovan Bratislava or Celje, with the Azerbaijani side representing a particularly lengthy away trip for Arsenal supporters if drawn.
Several clubs remain in limbo between Pot 3 and Pot 4 depending on final qualification outcomes and UEFA coefficient calculations, including Slavia Prague, the winner of NEC Nijmegen versus Bodo/Glimt, the winner of Dinamo Zagreb versus Viking, and the winner of Celtic versus LASK.
With the draw approaching, Arsenal's route through the group stage remains largely unpredictable, though the tantalizing prospect of an early rematch with PSG adds extra intrigue to proceedings. Arteta's side will be hoping to go one step further than last season and go all the way to lifting the trophy itself.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport.