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The Champions League is back and the Premier League appears set to enjoy a period of dominance after Liverpool and Tottenham met in last year’s final.
It was the Reds’ second successive final, while Manchester City enter this year’s tournament as favourites.
Chelsea , perhaps, could be the most vulnerable of the quartet after clinching their return following a one-year hiatus after winning the Europa League and finishing third in the league.
But it is Spurs who face the daunting prospect of drawing one of Europe’s super clubs in pot one due to being placed in pot two, with Juventus, Bayern Munich, PSG and Barcelona all potential opponents.
They’ll hope for Zenit Saint Petersburg though as seemingly the only side beneath their level on paper.
Show all 7 1 /7Liverpool's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Liverpool's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Liverpool's hardest and easiest Champions League draws The Reds are defending their title after clinching a sixth European crown in Madrid last season.
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Liverpool's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Toughest draw from pot 2: Atletico Madrid Few teams possess the defensive capabilities to subdue Liverpool’s front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, but if any side can keep those players at bay, it’s Diego Simeone’s.
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Liverpool's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Toughest draw from pot 3: Inter Milan Inter are a genuine dark horse this year, much improved by the additions of coach Antonio Conte and striker Romelu Lukaku.
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Liverpool's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Toughest draw from pot 4: RB Leipzig Julian Nagelsmann's side have made a fast start to the Bundesliga season with two wins and six goals, and look like the toughest side in pot four.
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Liverpool's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Easiest draw from pot 2: Shakhtar While a trip to Ukraine is not ideal, they are the weakest opponent in a pot that contains both Madrid sides, Napoli and Dortmund.
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Liverpool's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Easiest draw from pot 3: Club Brugge Brugge are seemingly the safest draw from pot, with Inter, Valencia, Lyon and Leverkusen lurking.
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Liverpool's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Easiest draw from pot 4: Slavia Prague There a few potential banana skins in pot four (see Leipzig, Galatasaray, Lokomotiv). Slavia Prague shouldn’t be one of them.
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But Mauricio Pochettino’s side could still face a tricky task in merely returning to the knock-out stage, let alone next year’s final in Istanbul.
That’s because Inter Milan , reinvigorated under Antonio Conte and strengthened by the addition of Romelu Lukaku and others, are in pot three.
Show all 7 1 /7Chelsea's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Chelsea's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Chelsea's hardest and easiest Champions League draws Chelsea are back in Europe's top competition after their brief hiatus, but without Eden Hazard. Here are the hardest and easiest options available to the Blues.
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Chelsea's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Hardest from pot 2: Atletico Madrid The worst match stylistically for Chelsea, with Diego Simeone's side almost the opposite of Frank Lampard's in terms of organisation. Alvaro Morata would have a point to prove, while Joao Felix looks set to break out (again) to become the finest young player in Europe after Kylian Mbappe.
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Chelsea's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Hardest from pot 3: Inter Milan Antonio Conte's presence alone should make Inter a side to avoid, but with Romelu Lukaku happier now and feeling loved, plus a sturdy defence led by Milan Skriniar, they are a side on the up.
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Chelsea's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Hardest from pot 4: Galatasaray A lengthy trip and notoriously difficult atmosphere to negotiate. Fatih Terim's side have a number of highly talented players capable of upsetting more fancied sides this season.
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Chelsea's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Easiest from pot 2: Benfica Already beaten by fierce rivals Porto this season, the Blues have happy memories of facing the Portuguese giants: beating them on the way to winning this competition, as well as their Europa League final win a year later in 2013.
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Chelsea's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Easiest from pot 3: Club Brugge A short trip to face Simon Mignolet's new side, who lost star striker Wesley and midfielder Marvelous Nakamba this summer to Aston Villa, with winger Arnaut Danjuma also departing for Bournemouth. They will prove more attractive than Inter, Valencia, Lyon and Leverkusen, who are all lurking in pot three.
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Chelsea's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Easiest from pot 4: Slavia Prague Safely negotiated last season in the Europa League, Lampard, while not there, would surely settle for this with his players familiar with the Czech side.
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Spurs edged the Nerazzurri last season by the slimmest of margins, advancing on head-to-head away goals as runners-up in Group B.
Galatasaray are the side most hope to avoid from pot four.
Show all 7 1 /7Man City's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Man City's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Man City's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Pep Guardiola's side were upset by Spurs in the quarter-finals last season and will face pressure to progress further this time
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Man City's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Toughest draw from pot 2: Borussia Dortmund City versus Dortmund fixtures would risk turning into chaotic goal fests, like the Premier League champions’ clashes with Monaco in 2017.
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Man City's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Toughest draw from pot 3: Inter Milan Inter are a genuine dark horse this year, much improved by the additions of coach Antonio Conte and striker Romelu Lukaku.
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Man City's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Toughest draw from pot 4: Galatasaray Galatasaray are Champions League regulars and have picked up wins against Manchester United and Liverpool in recent years.
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Man City's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Easiest draw from pot 2: Shakhtar While a trip to Ukraine is not ideal, they are the weakest opponent in a pot that contains both Madrid sides, Napoli and Dortmund.
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Man City's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Easiest draw from pot 3: Club Brugge Brugge are seemingly the safest draw from pot, with Inter, Valencia, Lyon and Leverkusen lurking.
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Man City's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Easiest draw from pot 4: Slavia Prague There a few potential banana skins in pot four (see Leipzig, Galatasaray, Lokomotiv). Slavia Prague shouldn’t be one of them
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The holders Liverpool, along with Manchester City and Chelsea could face Real Madrid , Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund from pot two.
Diego Simeone ‘s side would likely cause Chelsea the most trouble, due to their expansive style, currently lacking in cohesion, something Atletico have possessed for years.
Show all 7 1 /7Tottenham's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Tottenham's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Tottenham's hardest and easiest Champions League draws Last year's finalists will be desperate to bounce back and earn another shot at glory.
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Tottenham's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Toughest draw from pot 1: Barcelona Despite the signing of Frenkie De Jong, Barcelona's actual problems seem to still be there, but they now have Antoine Griezmann to compliment Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez - and maybe Neymar too.
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Tottenham's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Toughest draw from pot 3: Inter Milan Inter are a genuine dark horse this year, much improved by the additions of coach Antonio Conte and striker Romelu Lukaku.
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Tottenham's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Toughest draw from pot 4: Galatasaray Galatasaray are Champions League regulars and have picked up wins against Manchester United and Liverpool in recent years.
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Tottenham's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Easiest draw from pot 1: Zenit Saint Petersburg An admittedly lengthy trip, but the other options are daunting for Spurs: Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain.
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Tottenham's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Easiest draw from pot 3: Club Brugge Brugge are seemingly the safest draw from pot three, should they, as expected, emerge from their play-off with LASK. They could prove attractive with Inter, Valencia, Lyon and Leverkusen lurking from pot three.
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Tottenham's toughest and easiest Champions League draws Easiest draw from pot 4: Lille Rebuilding somewhat after the £72m sale of Nicolas Pepe, Lille will be an attractive option for Tottenham (or Chelsea) due to the convenience of the travel.
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While Dortmund’s style might pose City the most problems and test whether Rodri has been fully integrated in Pep Guardiola’s side following his move from Atletico this summer to upgrade on Fernandinho.
You can follow the draw live as it happens on Independent Sport, with the full details to be found here with the final places up for grabs in Tuesday and Wednesday’s play-off round.
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