Chelsea, PSG, Others Await UEFA Champions League Draw Thursday

Holders Chelsea and their rivals amongst Europe’s elite will uncover their opponents on this season’s UEFA Champions League when the draw for the group stage is made in Istanbul on Thursday from 1600 GMT.

 

The Turkish metropolis has missed out on internet hosting the ultimate of the competitors in every of the final two seasons, with restrictions regarding the pandemic seeing the sport moved on the final minute to Portugal in successive years.

 

Chelsea, due to this fact, beat Manchester Metropolis in Porto in Might and people two powerhouses of English soccer — who’ve flexed their monetary muscle out there over the summer season — can be among the many favourites to go all the best way this season.

 

“No person needs to relaxation. I would like the following one, the following title,” Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel stated after successful the trophy.

 

Chelsea and Pep Guardiola’s Metropolis are each within the first pot of seeds for the draw, in a ceremony which may also see UEFA award the prize for the most effective participant of final season from a three-man shortlist of Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Kevin De Bruyne, who all appeared in Might’s last.

 

Additionally within the first pot of seeds are Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Sporting Lisbon, Lille and final season’s Europa League winners, Villarreal.

 

As ever there are many massive names within the second pot, together with Actual Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, who will entice much more consideration after including Lionel Messi to their star-studded squad.

 

Different well-known names that includes within the draw are Ajax, Benfica and AC Milan, who’re showing in Europe’s elite membership competitors for the primary time since 2013/14 after coming second in Serie A final season.

 

The Champions League group stage will kick off on September 14 and 15, with the ultimate being held — all going to plan — in Saint Petersburg on Might 28 subsequent yr.

 

The draw for the group stage of the Europa League and the brand new third-tier Europa Convention League will happen on Friday, additionally in Istanbul.

 

– Prize cash -These two competitions are far much less profitable, however whereas European soccer usually has been badly hit by the financial impression of Covid-19, whoever goes on to carry the Champions League will pocket an enormous sum in prize cash.

 

UEFA, which registered a lack of some 531 million euros ($623.4m) within the 2019/20 marketing campaign from the pandemic, has put collectively a complete pot of simply over two billion euros for this season.

 

The winners will pocket prize cash of as much as 85 million euros, and that’s earlier than the extras are taken into consideration: golf equipment get more cash primarily based on their UEFA coefficient, as much as a most of 36 million euros within the case of top-ranked Bayern Munich.

 

Along with that, one other 300 million euros is distributed primarily based on the load of every nation’s tv market.

 

It’s a system which rewards the already wealthy and highly effective and which has helped make it virtually inconceivable for golf equipment outdoors the most important nations to win the trophy.

 

The final crew to carry the European Cup that didn’t play in England, Germany, Spain or Italy was Porto in 2004.

 

Maybe that may change this yr, though don’t anticipate Zenit Saint Petersburg to be topped champions in their very own stadium subsequent Might.

 

As a substitute PSG are absolutely the most effective positioned to problem Chelsea or Metropolis, with the Qatar-owned membership — overwhelmed finalists in 2020 — having added Messi with the specific purpose of getting their fingers on the Champions League for the primary time.

 

“I’ve stated many occasions my dream is to win one other Champions League and I believe I’m within the best place to have that likelihood and to do it,” Messi stated after arriving within the French capital.