Champions League draw preview: Manchester City fear their third Group of Death in as many seasons
Blues at risk of landing holders Bayern, Tevez's Juve and Celtic; PLUS Who Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal may face
Getty
Manchester City's Champions League nightmare could come back to haunt them when the group-phase draw is made on Thursday.
City were drawn in a four-team pool containing three domestic champions last season alongside Real Madrid (who went on to the semis), Borussia Dortmund (the eventual beaten finalists) and Ajax.
It was the second season running the Blues had faced a 'Group of Death', having found themselves up against Bayern Munich, Napoli and Villarreal the year before.
On each occasion, the Mancunians failed to advance to the knockout stage.
And City, now managed by Manuel Pellegrini following Roberto Mancini's sacking, could be handed yet another draw from hell.
Seeded in pot three, they could find themselves drawn with European champions Bayern Munich, Italian champions Juventus, who bought striker Carlos Tevez off them this summer, and Scottish champions Celtic.
A less daunting outcome would see City paired with either Porto or Benfica, who are among the top seeds, and Marseille or CSKA Moscow from pot two - which would be far more favourable to Pellegrini.
City are facing the prospect of another tough draw because their failure to make it through to the last 16 in the past two seasons means they have been unable to improve their UEFA ranking.
The good news for Pellegrini is that captain Vincent Kompany intends to be fit for their Champions League campaign, which will begin on September 17 or 18.
City skipper Kompany declared he is close to a return after suffering a groin injury during the season-opening win over Newcastle.
He said: "I'll be out for a little while but not too long. I may miss the internationals, but I hope to be back after that."
Premier League champions Manchester United, 2012 European Cup winners Chelsea and newly-qualified Arsenal are all seeded in pot one.
That means they will avoid the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern, Porto and Benfica, who are seeded alongside them.
But the Prem trio could also face tough tests in their respective groups, despite avoiding the competition's strongest sides by being seeded in pot one.
Their potential opponents including French champions Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid from pot two, Dortmund and Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen in pot three and Napoli, no managed by ex-Liverpool and Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez, from pot four.
No team can face another club from the same country in the group stage, but the English teams could all be drawn against Celtic.
POT 2 Atletico Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan, Schalke, Marseille, CSKA Moscow, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus.
POT 3 Zenit St Petersburg, Manchester City, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Basel, Olympiacos, Galatasaray, Bayer Leverkusen.
POT 4 FC Copenhagen, Napoli, Anderlecht, Celtic, Steaua Bucharest, Viktoria Plzen, Real Sociedad, Austria Vienna.
City were drawn in a four-team pool containing three domestic champions last season alongside Real Madrid (who went on to the semis), Borussia Dortmund (the eventual beaten finalists) and Ajax.
It was the second season running the Blues had faced a 'Group of Death', having found themselves up against Bayern Munich, Napoli and Villarreal the year before.
On each occasion, the Mancunians failed to advance to the knockout stage.
And City, now managed by Manuel Pellegrini following Roberto Mancini's sacking, could be handed yet another draw from hell.
Seeded in pot three, they could find themselves drawn with European champions Bayern Munich, Italian champions Juventus, who bought striker Carlos Tevez off them this summer, and Scottish champions Celtic.
A less daunting outcome would see City paired with either Porto or Benfica, who are among the top seeds, and Marseille or CSKA Moscow from pot two - which would be far more favourable to Pellegrini.
City are facing the prospect of another tough draw because their failure to make it through to the last 16 in the past two seasons means they have been unable to improve their UEFA ranking.
The good news for Pellegrini is that captain Vincent Kompany intends to be fit for their Champions League campaign, which will begin on September 17 or 18.
City skipper Kompany declared he is close to a return after suffering a groin injury during the season-opening win over Newcastle.
He said: "I'll be out for a little while but not too long. I may miss the internationals, but I hope to be back after that."
Premier League champions Manchester United, 2012 European Cup winners Chelsea and newly-qualified Arsenal are all seeded in pot one.
That means they will avoid the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern, Porto and Benfica, who are seeded alongside them.
But the Prem trio could also face tough tests in their respective groups, despite avoiding the competition's strongest sides by being seeded in pot one.
Their potential opponents including French champions Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid from pot two, Dortmund and Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen in pot three and Napoli, no managed by ex-Liverpool and Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez, from pot four.
No team can face another club from the same country in the group stage, but the English teams could all be drawn against Celtic.
Those pots in full
POT 1 Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, Porto, Benfica.POT 2 Atletico Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan, Schalke, Marseille, CSKA Moscow, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus.
POT 3 Zenit St Petersburg, Manchester City, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Basel, Olympiacos, Galatasaray, Bayer Leverkusen.
POT 4 FC Copenhagen, Napoli, Anderlecht, Celtic, Steaua Bucharest, Viktoria Plzen, Real Sociedad, Austria Vienna.
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