Manchester United will be anticipating learning who their group stage opponents will be as the UEFA Champions League group stage draw is due for August 31.
This will be a welcome return to the Champions League for Man United after their third-place finish in the Premier League previous season. Prior to Erik ten Hag joining the team, Man United had a poor season and competed in the Europa League.
United has been sent to Pot 2 of the draw as a result of their UEFA coefficient ranking.
The Red Devils benefit from being in Pot 2 even if they may not be considered one of the most top clubs in the game.
United will escape a group stage matchup with teams like 14-time champion Real Madrid and Inter Milan, who advanced to last year’s final with Andre Onana among their ranks, because two teams from the same pot cannot be placed in the same group.
However, Pot 1 contains a number of difficult opponents for United in the group stage.
United will avoid a matchup with its city rival Manchester City since groups cannot contain clubs from the same nation, but early in the competition, European powerhouses like FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and PSG may prove to be a threat to opponents.
If Sevilla encounters United in the group stage, they will be one of the underdogs to watch out for. Sevilla is the defending champion of the Europa League.
Without a doubt, United will want to exact revenge on the Spanish team that eliminated them from the Europa League last year.
The Serie A champions Napoli and Benfica, who advanced to last year’s quarterfinals, have both shown themselves to be teams in excellent condition.
While there are still some openings in pots 3 and 4 as the playoff rounds go, AC Milan stands out as a formidable foe given that they advanced to last season’s semifinal.
The defeat United suffered to Real Sociedad in the Europa League group stage a few months ago taught them that Real Sociedad is another challenging opponent.
Regardless of whether of the aforementioned sides is placed alongside United, Ten Hag and his team will need to be on high alert as they attempt to craft a road to the Champions League knockouts while juggling a hectic match schedule.
Bayern Munich, Manchester United, AC Milan, and Real Sociedad might make up the Group of Death.
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