Who Arsenal can face in Champions League as Paris Saint-Germain rematch possible | OneFootball

Luis Enrique and Co lie in wait as Gunners learn potential league stage opponents

Arsenal will learn their opponents for the league phase of the Champions League this week.

Mikel Arteta's side were within touching distance of winning the competition last season, taking the lead in the final against Paris Saint-Germain before losing on penalties.

PSG are favourites to be crowned European champions for a third season in a row but Arsenal look set to be one of their main rivals again this season.

The draw takes place on Thursday evening in Monaco. It will once again be a 36-team league phase, with clubs facing two teams from each of the four pots.

Here, Standard Sport takes a look at who Arsenal could be coming up against in Europe this season...

Pot 1

Arsenal are one of the top seeds for this season's competition.

Manchester City and Liverpool are also in Pot 1, but teams cannot play clubs from the same country in the league phase.

That means Arsenal have six possible opponents for their two fixtures against Pot 1 clubs.

PSG are one of those, in what would be a repeat of last season's final in Budapest.

There is a strong chance Arsenal face a Spanish side, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid all options as well.

Potential opponents: PSG, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid

Rematch pending: Arsenal could draw PSG in the Champions League group stage

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Pot 2

With Manchester United and Aston Villa both in Pot 2, Arsenal's opponent list is again limited.

There could be a swift reunion with Club Brugge for Christos Tzolis, while Arsenal could also go up against Sporting after beating them in the quarter-finals last year.

The pre-season preparations could also prove to be useful for Arteta and his players.

The Gunners faced Borussia Dortmund and Real Betis over the summer and both are waiting as possible Pot 2 opponents.

Potential opponents: Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting, Porto, Club Brugge, Real Betis, PSV

Reunion: Arsenal signed Christos Tzolis from potential league phase opponents Club Brugge this summer

BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

Pot 3

Seven of the nine Pot 3 clubs have been confirmed, with one other spot to be finalised after the play-off tie between Lyon and Fenerbahce.

The final place will be decided depending on the UEFA coefficient rankings of all the sides that qualify, with the remaining the clubs going into Pot 4.

There are no English clubs in this pot, so Arsenal could play any two of these sides.

That might mean a trip to Stamford Bridge. Shakhtar Donetsk will play their home matches in west London after Chelsea failed to qualify for European football this season.

Potential opponents: Feyenoord, Lille, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Villarreal, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, Fenerbahce/Lyon

Could be Pot 3 or Pot 4: Slavia Prague, NEC Nijmegen/Bodo/Glimt, Dinamo Zagreb/Viking, Celtic/LASK

New digs: Shakhtar Donetsk will play their Champions League matches at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge this season

PA

Pot 4

Only three clubs are confirmed in the bottom pot as it stands.

That includes Cesc Fabregas's Como side, who Arsenal also faced in pre-season earlier this month.

The Italian side have qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history.

Stuttgart and Lens are also guaranteed to be in this pot, while there is the potential of a very lengthy trip to face Azerbaijani side Sabah.

Potential opponents: Stuttgart, Como, Lens, Hapoel Be'er Sheva/Sabah, Levski Sofia/AEK Athens, Slovan Bratislava/Celje

Could be Pot 3 or Pot 4: