Manchester United, Chelsea, and others dream and nightmare scenarios - Champions League 2015/16

That's right, the Champions League group stage draw has come around, and United fans can return to the competition following a year's absence spent watching a combination of Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Liverpool embarrassing themselves on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

Due to format changes made by UEFA, which sees only league champions placed in Pot 1 this season, neither Manchester club will be among the giants in the draw (although that really makes no change for City).

 

However, the rest of the pot seedings are decided by UEFA's questionable club coefficient ranking and both sides have made it into Pot 2, therefore minimising the damage that can be done by missing out on a place in Pot 1... right?

WRONG! Remember that questionable coefficient ranking we mentioned? It's put everybody in danger as the impressive German duo of Borussia Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg are stuck all the way down in Pot 4, while their less impressive Ukranian equivalent of Shakhtar Donestsk and Dynamo Kyiv can look down on the Germans from Pot 3.

It's all very confusing, but we're going to make it much simpler for you right now by showing you the best and worst possible scenarios that today's draw could throw up for United and City.

Manchester United and Manchester City's best case scenario group could look like this:
PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands - Pot 1)
Manchester United/Manchester City (Pot 2)
Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine - Pot 3)
Gent (Belgium - Pot 4)

OR Manchester United and Manchester City's worst case scenario groups could look like this:
Barcelona (Spain - Pot 1)
Manchester United/Manchester City (Pot 2)
Roma (Italy - Pot 3)
Wolfsburg (Germany - Pot 4)

 

UEFA's decision to place the champions from Europe's top eight leagues into Pot one this season has thrown a massive spanner into the works for Arsenal, as they have been displaced to Pot 2 for the first time in 15 years.

Chelsea, despite being in Pot 1, also have an increased chance of facing tougher opposition as a result of the changes, which see non-domestic champions who have been strong performers in Europem like Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, as possible opponents.

The remainder of the pot seedings are then decided, as they were previously, by UEFA's notoriously unreliable club coefficient ranking – which this season sees German sides Borussia Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg stuck all the way down in Pot 4, while Ukranian duo Shakhtar Donestsk and Dynamo Kyiv sit in Pot 3.

So let's take a look at their dream and nightmare possible draws.

Chelsea's group could look like this:

Chelsea (Pot 1)
Valencia (Spain - Pot 2)
Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine - Pot 3)
Gent (Belgium - Pot 4)

OR Chelsea's group could look like this:
Chelsea (Pot 1)
Real Madrid (Spain - Pot 2)
Roma (Italy - Pot 3)
Wolfsburg (Germany - Pot 4)