Champions League: Who Newcastle will want to avoid in the group stage

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The draw for the Champions League group stage is set to take place at 5pm, August 31st, and Newcastle United will then learn their fate.

Newcastle United will take part in the Champions League this season for the first time since 2003. After a twenty year absence from Europe’s premier club competition, the Magpies will be keen to prove their quality up against some of the best teams the continent has to offer.

Newcastle are in pot 4, the lowest ranked of the pots that clubs are drawn from to make up each of the Champions League groups. Four teams will be drawn per group, with one coming from each of the seeded pots.

In the group stage, clubs cannot be drawn against teams from the same country as them. Eddie Howe will be relieved to know that his side won’t have to face Manchester City at this early stage in the tournament.

However, the Tyneside club could still be in for a rough ride if the luck of the draw goes against them.

Whilst they will want to test themselves against some of Europe’s top sides, they will also want a fair chance of progressing from the group stage with a kind draw. Due to that, there are certain European giants they’ll be hoping to avoid when the draw takes place in Monaco tomorrow.

Who Newcastle will want to avoid

Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint Germain are arguably the three toughest teams in pot 1. The German giants are probably the side Newcastle will be most keen to dodge in the draw. Whilst Thomas Tuchel’s team haven’t been in the greatest form of late, Howe will be well aware of the threat that Harry Kane carries. The England man struck ten times against Newcastle in his time at Tottenham Hotspur.

Champions League experts Real Madrid are the dominant force in pot 2. The Spanish capital club have won the competition on a record 14 previous occasions, including five times in the last ten years. Pot 2 could also serve up last year’s finalists Inter Milan. However, Newcastle will know that they can’t face Arsenal or Manchester United at this point.

Pot 3 is kinder, by design. However, AC Milan still carry a significant threat. The likes of Rafael Leao, Olivier Giroud, and Christian Pulisic have the ability to test even the best defences.

All in all, Howe will be desperate for Newcastle to avoid a draw that sees them grouped with Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and AC Milan. If Newcastle end up facing those teams in the group stage then their Champions League dream could quickly turn into a nightmare.