Champions League Group Stage Explained As Arsenal, Man United's Possible Opponents Revealed

• The 2023/2024 Champions League season is taking shape nicely, with a number of 'strange' teams qualifying
• 25 teams have already booked their spots, with the rest set to take part in the playoff rounds
• Arsenal and Manchester United are in Pot 2 alongside record winners Real Madrid

Leagues across Europe's top-five divisions came to a close this weekend. League champions were confirmed as early as the start of May, with Napoli and Barcelona leading dominant seasons in Italy and Spain, respectively.

Manchester City won their third English Premier League title in a row after a late wobble from Arsenal, while Paris Saint-Germain won their 11th title. Bayern Munich needed a stroke of luck to extend their dominance in the Bundesliga.

The 2023/2024 season will see the return of the likes of Arsenal and Newcastle to Europe's elite competition after a long time out in the cold. There will also be a few surprise packages with RC Lens (France), Real Sociedad (Spain) and Union Berlin (Germany).

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As it stands, the final placing in the four pots is not confirmed, with a few issues still yet to be decided. As Bleacher Reports states, the placing is often determined by the club's coefficients.

Manchester City, like all the other champions in Europe's core leagues, will automatically be in Pot 1. However, Inter Milan could join them should they win the June 10 final.

Feyenoord, who won the Eredivisie, could drop to Pot 3 should Inter Milan win the Champions League.

Sevilla will also start the draw from Pot 1, having won the Europa League on May 31 for a record-extending seventh time.

As Evening Standard reports, a number of other select teams will fight for a place in the draw through a rigorous playoff round to be announced later. Rangers, Marseille, PSV Eindhoven and newly-crowned Belgian champions Royal Antwerp will begin their Champions League journey from the play-off stage.

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Arsenal, Manchester United's possible opponents

The teams that will qualify from the play-off stage will determine the final placing in the pots. Arsenal and Manchester United are in Pot 2.

The rules of the draw are as follows; no team from the same pot can be drawn together and no team from the same country can be drawn in the same group, plus any other rule that UEFA officials will deem necessary before the start of the draw.

This essentially means that both Arsenal and Manchester United will avoid an early meetup with record winners Real Madrid in the group stage. They also can't face Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund.

They can, however, be drawn against every league winner save for Manchester City. This means that Mikel Arteta and Erik ten Hag should warm up to probable fixtures against Bayern Munich, PSG, Napoli or Barcelona.

2023/2024 Champions League pots as it stands

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Pot 1: Manchester City, Napoli, Bayern Munich, PSG, Sevilla, Benfica, Feyenoord, Barcelona

Pot 2: Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, Porto, Leipzig, Atletico Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk

Pot 3: RB Salzburg, AC Milan, Lazio, Crvena Zvedza, Newcastle United, Celtic, Real Sociedad

Pot 4: Union Berlin, Lens

The teams in bold signify those whose positions on the pots can still change. The group stage draw will be conducted on August 31, 2023.

Champions League referee investigated

Sports Brief also reported that UEFA had begun to investigate referee Szymon Marciniak after he was spotted talking to a far-right politician.

Marciniak, who is due to officiate the Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan on June 10, faced being stood down pending the results of the investigation.

The investigation has, however, since been completed, and Marciniak has been cleared to officiate the Champions League blockbuster.