Holders Manchester City and the cream of European football will learn their Champions League fate for this season when the draw for the group stage takes place in Monaco on Thursday from 1600 GMT.

After several near misses in recent years, Pep Guardiola’s side won the trophy for the first time when they defeated Inter 1-0 in last season’s final in Istanbul in June thanks to a solitary Rodri goal.

They are therefore in the first pot of seeds for this season’s group phase, along with Europa League winners Sevilla as well as Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain, Feyenoord and Benfica.

Those six clubs are, like City, the champions of the top-ranked European nations, and the format of the draw means many of the teams to avoid will therefore be in the second pot.

That is where record 14-time European champions Real Madrid — winners in 2022 -- lurk along with the likes of Inter and Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United.

Read full story on sport.timesofmalta.com

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