Football
Dale Johnson, General Editor, ESPN FC 7y

Man United in Champions League group draw Pot 2 after Europa win

Manchester United will be in Pot 2 for August's Champions League group stage draw after they confirmed their place in the competition with a 2-0 win over Ajax in the Europa League final on Wednesday.

Goals from Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan won the trophy for Jose Mourinho's men.

United would have been in Pot 3, ranked below Napoli, Tottenham Hotspur and FC Basel, had they qualified by finishing in the top four and not competed in Europe this season. But their Europa League success, and the UEFA coefficient ranking points it earned, has proved useful on two fronts. 

The Premier League will have five teams in next season's Champions League -- Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City and United in the group stage, and Liverpool in the final qualifying round.

It also means England will have just two representatives in the Europa League, with Arsenal straight to the group stage and Everton in the third qualifying round, which starts at the end of July.

United's victory gives Czech Cup winners FC Fastav Zlin a direct route to the Europa League group stage. They have only once before played in Europe, when they lost to PSV Eindhoven in the first round of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1970.

Real Madrid completed the lineup of Champion League seeds on Sunday when they wrapped up La Liga. Bayern Munich, Juventus, Benfica, Chelsea, Monaco, Spartak Moscow and Shakhtar Donetsk are also in Pot 1.

Pots 2 to 4 are based on UEFA club coefficient over the last five years. There will be a strong collection of teams in the second pot, with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, Man City, FC Porto and United assured of their places.

They will be joined in Pot 2 by Sevilla if they come through the final qualifying round with Napoli, who also may have to qualify, able to benefit if the La Liga team are eliminated. If both Sevilla and Napoli fail to make the group stage, Tottenham would move up.

At present Roma face being in Pot 4, though will move up to Pot 3 if a seeded team loses in the playoffs.  

The group stage draw takes place on Aug. 24.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW POTS

Seeded (confirmed): Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Benfica, Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk, Monaco, Spartak Moscow

Pot 2 (provisional): Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla*, Man City, FC Porto, Man United

Pot 3 (provisional): Napoli*, Tottenham, FC Basel, Dynamo Kiev*, Ajax*, Olympiakos*, Anderlecht, Liverpool*

Pot 4: All other qualifying clubs, which could include Roma*, RB Leipzig, Celtic*, Nice* and Feyenoord

* denotes must/could come through qualifying rounds

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