Simulated Champions League Group Stage draw: Manchester City to face controversial CFG clash and major managerial reunion

Manchester City and Pep Guardiola will discover their eight opponents for the UEFA Champions League Group Stage on Thursday evening, with the competition being revamped for the 2024/25 season.

Manchester City, who are looking to win the Champions League for a second time in three seasons this year, will play eight matches as part of a 36-team league system between September and January, with four games at home and four games away.

The Blues will need to finish in the top eight to automatically qualify for the knockout stages, and will be drawn to face two opponents from each of the four pots – one at home and one away.

Manchester City are unable to face another English side and can play no more than two teams from one country. Clubs have been divided into four pots of nine based on their UEFA coefficient ranking, with the Sky Blues ranked in pot one.

Ahead of this evening’s new-look UEFA Champions League Group Stage draw, City Xtra have now simulated proceedings, which would present Manchester City with a controversial clash against Girona and a visit to Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich!

Our simulation would see Guardiola’s side visit the Allianz Arena to face Kompany’s side, as well as hosting Inter Milan at the Etihad Stadium in a repeat of the 2023 Champions League Final.

From pot two, Manchester City would face a familiar opponent in Shakhtar Donetsk at the Etihad Stadium, as well travelling to Portugal to face Benfica.

Regarding pot three, Guardiola’s squad would welcome PSV Eindhoven to east Manchester, and face Scottish champions Celtic in Glasgow.

Manchester City’s final two opponents would come from pot four, where our simulation features a clash against fellow City Football Group side Girona, as well as a meeting with AS Monaco in Fontvieille.

Manchester City’s Simulated Champions League Group Stage Opponents

Opponent One: Bayern Munich (A)

Opponent Two: Inter Milan (H)

Opponent Three: Shakhtar Donetsk (H)

Opponent Four: Benfica (A)

Opponent Five: PSV Eindhoven (H)

Opponent Six: Celtic (A)

Opponent Seven: Girona (H)

Opponent Eight: AS Monaco (A)

Who has qualified for the Champions League Group Stages? 

Pot One: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, PSG, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, FC Barcelona. 

Pot Two: Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Shaktar Donetsk, AC Milan. 

Pot Three: Feyenoord, Sporting Lisbon, PSV, Celtic, GNK Dinamo, Salzburg, Lille, Crvena zvezda, BSC Young Boys.

Pot Four: AS Monaco, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, Stuttgart, Sturm Graz, Brest, Slovan Bratislava, Sparta Praha.