The draw for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League will be held today in Istanbul at 5:00pm Nigerian time.
Holders Chelsea lead teams seeded in pot 1 as they seek to retain the title they claimed over English Champions, Manchester City last May.
The ceremony would also feature the presentation of UEFA award for the best player of last season from a three-man shortlist of Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Kevin De Bruyne, who all appeared in May’s final.
Also in the first pot of seeds are Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Sporting Lisbon, Lille and last season’s Europa League winners, Villarreal.
Big names including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain among others would make up the second pot.
Other famous names featuring in the draw are Ajax, Benfica and AC Milan, who are appearing in Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2013⁄14 after coming second in Serie A last season.
The Champions League group stage will kick off on September 14 and 15, with the final being held – all going to plan – in Saint Petersburg on May 28 next year.
The draw for the group stage of the Europa League and the new third-tier Europa Conference League will take place tomorrow, also in Istanbul.
