There are two schools of thought when it comes to what kinds of opponents you want to face on a European adventure, particularly when you’ve not had one for a decade.
Do you want to get the easiest group possible, providing a nominally easier route through to the knockout stages? Or do you just want to play as many European giants as possible so you can enjoy a memorable away trip and hopefully claim some big scalps?
With Newcastle United now assured a place in the Champions League place for next season, fans can start asking themselves that very question – but working out what groups are actually possible can be a tricky business thanks to the complicated seeding system Uefa have in place.
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Thankfully, there are enterprising people with large spreadsheets and a keen interest in coefficients who keep track of just such things, including the Twitter account UefaRankings and this very comprehensive site maintained by Bert Kassies.
Eddie Howe’s side would be in the lowest-seeded section (pot 4) of the group stage draw, which means that could get a draw that includes Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Lazio; alternatively, they could well find themselves going up against Feyenoord, RB Leipzig and Young Boys.
There’s still lots of different ways could shake out with plenty of the group stage places still to be decided, but here’s how things look as it stands.
Potential Champions League pot seedings as it stands
Teams in bold are confirmed for their respective pots already regardless of other factors. The rest subject to change, to varying degrees of probability.
Pot 1: Manchester City, Barcelona, Napoli, Bayern Munich, Benfica, PSG, Feyenoord or Inter (depending on Champions League final result), Roma or Sevilla (depending on Europa League final result)
Pot 2: Real Madrid, Manchester United, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, Porto, Inter or Arsenal (depending on Champions League final result)
Pot 3: Arsenal or Feyenoord (depending on Champions League final result), Shakhtar, RB Salzburg, Lazio, Red Star Belgrade. Potential inclusions via the qualifying stages include Dinamo Zagreb, Rangers and Braga
Pot 4: Celtic, Newcastle United, Real Sociedad, Union Berlin, Lens. Potential inclusions via the qualifying stages include Galatasaray and Young Boys
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