Manchester City rise to pot two for next season's Champions League draw

Posted Monday, May 12, 2014 by Goal.com

The Premier League champions have been moved into pot two for next season's group stage draw, with Arsenal and Chelsea retaining their pot one status

Manchester City have risen from pot three to pot two for next season’s Champions League draw, a first for the newly crowned champions of England.

Having reached the knockout stages in this year’s competition, the cash-rich Premier League giants have earned enough points in Uefa’s ranking system - which is based on a club’s results in the competition over the previous five seasons - to move from pot three to pot two. The domestic troubles of the likes of AC Milan and Inter have also aided City's rise in the draw.

This will reduce the chances of City falling into another 'group of deat', a fate that has seen them drawn in the same group as Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in their last two Champions League campaigns.

Despite their elevation, Manuel Pellegrini’s side remain below London clubs Arsenal and Chelsea, who, after earning enough points over the last few campaigns, have retained their pot one status.

Whilst this signals another step forward in the seemingly unstoppable rise of City, the Champions League draw will be markedly more difficult for Liverpool, who return to the competition for the first time in four years. Brendan Rodgers' side will face the possibility of being drawn against European giants Bayern Munich and Juventus, or Paris Saint- Germain and Real Madrid, whilst a kinder draw would see them face Benfica or Porto from pot one.

As a result of their absence from the competition, the Merseysiders are 32nd in Uefa’s coefficient rankings, and will most likely be drawn from pot three in next season’s draw.