At 4:45pm the much awaited Champions League draw will take place, and Chelsea will find out which three teams they will have to battle it out with to get to the knockout stages.
This will be the 12th season in succession Chelsea will be in the group stage draw and this season provides one of the most competitive sets of teams ever seen.
Chelsea will be unable to be drawn against English opposition in Arsenal (Pot 1) Manchester City (Pot 2) and Liverpool (Pot 3) until the Quarter Final stage.
Pot 1
Alongside Chelsea in pot 1 are Spanish giants, Real Madrid, Athletico Madrid and Barcelona, as well as Bayern Munich, Porto and Benfica.
Pot 2
In pot 2 we find familiar opposition in Schalke and Basel who we faced in last seasons group stage, as well as PSG, who we knocked out in the Quarter Finals. A draw against the French champions would see a swift return to The Bridge for David Luiz after his £50 million move earlier this summer.
We could also face Juventus or Shakthar Donetsk, who we were paired with in the first time Chelsea ever failed to qualify to the knockout rounds. Other possibilities include German giants Borussia Dortmund who were runners-up in 2013 and Zenit St Petersburg, currently managed by former Chelsea boss Andre Villas Boas.
Â
Pot 3
In pot 3 we find familiar opposition again in Bayer Leverkusen who we faced in 2012 on the way to winning the competition, along with Olympiakos and CSKA Moscow who we faced in the group stages in the 2004/05 season.
Didier Drogba could once again return to a former club should we draw Galatasaray, who we knocked out in the round of 16 last season. Chelsea could also face new opposition with Ajax, Atletico Bilbao and Sporting Lisbon making up the rest of the pot.
Â
Pot 4
In arguably the easiest sets of teams, there are two potential giants we could be drawn against. Monaco are back in the competition this season. The last time they appeared, the reached the final losing to then Jose Mourinho’s Porto side. They defeated Chelsea in the semi finals. Roma are another possibility, which could see a return for Chelsea fans favourite Ashley Cole. Anderlecht and APOEL Nicosia who we have also played before are joined by Bate Borisov, Maribor, Malmo and Ludogorets who qualified in sensational style last night.
Â
Best Case Scenario
Chelsea, Basel, Sporting Lisbon, Maribor
Â
Worst Case Scenario
Chelsea, PSG, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma
Â
The full list of teams in the group stage draw is:
Pot 1
Real Madrid (Esp)
Barcelona (Esp)
Bayern Munich (Ger)
Chelsea (Eng)
Benfica (Por)
Atletico Madrid (Esp)
Arsenal (Eng)
Porto (Por)
Pot 2
Schalke (Ger)
Borussia Dortmund (Ger)
Juventus (Ita)
Paris St-Germain (Fra)
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukr)
Basel (Sui)
Zenit St Petersburg (Rus)
Manchester City (Eng)
Pot 3
Bayer Leverkusen (Ger)
Olympiacos (Gre)
CSKA Moscow (Rus)
Ajax (Ned)
Liverpool (Eng)
Sporting Lisbon (Por)
Galatasaray (Tur)
Athletic Bilbao (Esp)
Pot 4
Anderlecht (Bel)
Roma (Ita)
APOEL Nicosia (Cyp)
BATE Borisov (Bls)
Ludogorets Razgrad (Bul)
Maribor (Slo)
Monaco (Fra)
Malmo (Swe)
