The 2016/2017 UEFA Champions League group stage draw takes place later today at the glamorous UEFA headquarters in Monaco, France.
This year’s Champions League promises to be competitive, with Leicester City leading the Premier League teams following their incredible title success last season.
They will be joined by fellow English sides Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City.
The English quartet will be aiming to knock Real Madrid off their perch, while fellow European bigwigs Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will also be gunning for the trophy as the road to final match which will take place in Cardiff gets underway.
WuzupNaija brings to you all you need to know ahead of the football’s biggest competition:
Where is the draw taking place?
The draw for this season’s group stage takes place on Thursday at the swanky UEFA headquarters in Monaco, France.
What time does it hold?
The draw takes place on Thursday at 6pm CET, which is 5pm local time in Nigeria. But for other time zone, check below photo.
How can I watch it?
The draw will be live on SuperSport 3 and will be streamed live on UEFA.com DrawCentre.
Alternatively, if you cannot be near a television, then WuzupNaija.com will bring you the whole draw live and reaction you will need.
How is the draw made?
The 32 teams are put into four pots, with one team from each pot going into each of the eight groups.
Pot 1 consists of the holders (Real Madrid) and the winners of the top-seven ranked nations at the end of the 2014/15 season.
Pot 2 to pot 4 are decided by each side’s UEFA club coefficient at the end of last season.
Clubs from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.
Likewise, Russian and Ukrainian teams cannot play each other.
Who is in the draw?
Pot 1: Real Madrid (ESP, holders), Barcelona (ESP), Leicester City (ENG), Bayern München (GER), Juventus (ITA), Benfica (POR), Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), CSKA Moskva (RUS)
Pot 2: Atlético Madrid (ESP), Borussia Dortmund (GER), Arsenal (ENG), Manchester City (ENG), Sevilla (ESP), Porto (POR), Napoli (ITA), Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
Pot 3: Basel (SUI), Tottenham Hotspur (ENG), Dynamo Kyiv (UKR), Lyon (FRA), PSV Eindhoven (NED), Sporting CP (POR), Club Brugge (BEL), Mönchengladbach (GER)
Pot 4: Celtic (SCO), Monaco (FRA), Beşiktaş (TUR), Legia Warszawa (POL), Dinamo Zagreb (CRO), Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL), København (DEN), Rostov (RUS).
Who can the Premier League teams draw?
Sitting in Pot 1, Leicester will avoid the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus and PSG, but could find themselves up against Atletico Madrid or Dortmund from Pot 2.
Arsenal and Manchester City are in Pot 2, so will have one of the top seeded big boys, while Spurs take their place in pot 3.
What are the group stage dates?
Matchday one: 13–14 September
Matchday two: 27–28 September
Matchday three: 18–19 October
Matchday four: 1–2 November
Matchday five: 22–23 November
Matchday six: 6–7 December
Round of 16 draw: Monday, Dec. 12.
What other pomp and ceremony takes place?
This being a UEFA event, there will be plenty of montages, backslapping and self-congratulatory messages. In between this they will also hand out the UEFA Best Player in Europe Awards for men and women.
The draw also establishes the groups for the UEFA Champions League path of the UEFA Youth League.
