Pot 1
The teams from Pot 1 consist of the league winners of the top seven nations (based on UEFA coefficient), as well as the Champions League winners.
This, of course, means the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus and Bayern Munich are all present in this pot and they will all pose a massive threat to United should they be drawn together in the group stage.
The other teams in this pot are French champions Monaco Portuguese champions Benfica, Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk, Russian champions Spartak Moscow, and Premier League champions Chelsea (who United cannot draw at this stage).
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Chelsea, Juventus, Monaco, Shakhtar Donetsk, Spartak Moscow.
Pot 2
As mentioned before, United will be in the second pot for the Champions League draw, owing to their relatively high European coefficient accrued over the years.
The arrangement of having only the winners of each domestic league in the first pot means that the Reds will avoid the likes of Barcelona, PSG and Atletico Madrid, all of whom would perhaps be in the first pot in seasons’ past.
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Dortmund, Manchester City, Manchester United, Porto, PSG, Sevilla.
Pot 3
Pot three sees the likes of Tottenham and Liverpool take their place, although United may not draw domestic sides at this stage of the tournament.
The real threats in this pot comes from the Italian sides. Napoli, under Maurizio Sarri, have turned into one of Europe’s most entertaining sides in recent years, while Roma have plenty of European pedigree.
Other potential threats in this group are Greek side Olympiakos and Turkish side Besiktas, and drawing either would mean a long midweek trip to the eastern end of Europe.
Napoli, Tottenham Hotspur, Basel, Olympiakos, Anderlecht, Liverpool, Roma, Besiktas.
Pot 4
The final pot sees Europe’s minnows come into the fray, although this season there is one big team in there that United will want to avoid.
RB Leipzig took the Bundesliga by storm last season, with Ralph Hassenhüttl’s youthful side finishing second in the Bundesliga behind Bayern Munich. They will certainly be a forced to be reckoned with in their debut European season.
Other names to look out for are fellow British side Celtic and Dutch champions Feyenoord, who United drew in the Europa League group stage last season.
Celtic, CSKA Moscow, Sporting CP, APOEL, Feyenoord, Maribor, Qarabag, RB Leipzig.
United's ideal draw
Pot 1 (Benfica): A relatively short trip to Lisbon to take on the Portuguese champions. Although they are a good side (with the likes of Jonas and Haris Seferović in attack), they have been weakened at the back with the departures of Nélson Semedo and Victor Lindelöf and that could well play in United’s favour.
Pot 3 (Anderlecht): Another short trip for United, this time to Brussels. The Reds will certainly relish the matchup, having faced off in the Europa League knockout stages last season and bested the Belgian champions.
Pot 4 (Maribor): The Slovenian champions may well be the best pick for United in the last pot, given the difficulty and the travel time for some of the other potential clashes.
United's nightmare draw
Pot 1 (Real Madrid): The reigning Champions League winners. Although United ran them close in Skopje in the UEFA Super Cup a couple of weeks ago, Zinedine Zidane’s side showed that they are leaps and bounds above the competition. They are a real force.
Pot 3 (Napoli): Maurizio Sarri’s side are one of the most exciting in Europe, and ran Real Madrid close in the Champions League last season. Their relentless attacking side will certainly pose problems for United if they are paired together.
Pot 4 (RB Leipzig): The Champions League debutants are the most feared team in pot four, and completes this group of death. Hassenhüttl’s side gave Bayern a run for their money in the Bundesliga last season and will surprise many in Europe this term.
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