Arsenal's Champions League Relief: Nightmare Scenario Avoided as Pot Assignments for Next Season are Revealed

Arsenal’s Champions League Relief: Nightmare Scenario Avoided as Pot Assignments for Next Season are Revealed

Arsenal have been placed in pot two for next season’s Champions League, avoiding a ‘worst-case scenario’ group.

The Gunners finished second in the Premier League this season, thereby qualifying them for the Champions League for the first time since 2017.

However, their lack of success in European competition has resulted in a low UEFA coefficient over five years.

Arsenal is currently ranked 23rd in the UEFA club coefficient rankings. That means that, with eight teams in each Champions League pot, the Gunners would have been placed in pot three if all teams ahead of them had qualified for Europe’s top competition.

However, several teams ahead of them have failed to qualify for next season’s Champions League, including Juventus, Roma, Chelsea, and Tottenham.

And, even though there are still teams to qualify, Arsenal has been confirmed to be in pot two for the 2019 season. It means they avoid a potentially disastrous scenario that may have occurred if they had been in pot three.

Which teams will not be drawn against Arsenal?

Arsenal will not face Real Madrid in the group stages, as the 14-time champions have also been drawn in pot two.

Other European powerhouses in the mix include Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, and this season’s finalists, Inter Milan.

The Gunners cannot face reigning champions Manchester City in pot one because two teams from the same league cannot face each other in the group stage. This also implies that an early meeting with Newcastle, who are in pots three or four, is out of the question.

While Arsenal has dodged a potential ‘group of death’ scenario, there is no assurance that their journey to the knockout stages will be easy.

This season’s semifinalists, AC Milan, are in pot three, while league champions Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Napoli, and PSG are all in pot one.

Based on current UEFA coefficients, their best-case scenario would be to be drawn in a group with Feyenoord, Celtic, and Lens.

Celtic are one of the clubs that are not assured to be in pot three or four because all 32 teams have yet to qualify, along with Real Sociedad. PSV, Galatasaray, Rangers, Marseille, and Young Boys are among the teams that must progress through the qualification process.