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As it happenedended1535650197

Champions League draw LIVE: Manchester United drawn against Juventus, Spurs face Barcelona, City with Lyon and Liverpool latest

Follow the latest from the Champions League draw in Monaco

Jack de Menezes
Thursday 30 August 2018 18:29 BST
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UEFA Champion's League draw day- trailer

The four Premier League representatives in the Champions League have discovered their group-stage fate this evening as Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur learned their opponents for this season’s competition.

City will be the happiest of the bunch by some way, having been put in Group F along with Shakhtar Donestk, Lyon and Hoffenheim, but for the other three sides a far more daunting campaign awaits.

Manchester United face the treacherous task of taking on Italian champions Juventus and resurgent Spanish side Valencia, with Swiss league table-toppers Young Boys thrown into the mix in Group H, while Spurs' task is not much easier as they join two other league champions in Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven, along with Inter Milan, in Group B.

Liverpool are also up against it, with French giants Paris Saint-Germain alongside them in Group C as well as a tricky away trip to Carlo Ancelotti's Napoli, with Red Star Belgrade rounding out the group.

Follow the live draw below...

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When is the draw?

The Champions League draw takes place on Thursday 30 August in Monaco.

What time does it start?

The draw begins at 5.00pm BST [6.00 CET] and is expected to last around 30-45 minutes.

Where can I watch it?

The draw will be shown live on www.uefa.com and will also be broadcast on BT Sport 2 from 4.30pm BST in the UK.

The draw

Pot 1: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Lokomotiv Moscow.

Pot 2: Borussia Dortmund, Porto, Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Benfica, Napoli, Tottenham Hotspur, Roma.

Pot 3: Liverpool, Schlke, Lyon, AS Monaco, Ajax, CSKA Moscow, PSV Eindhoven, Valencia.

Pot 4: Viktoria Plzen, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Young Boys, Inter Milan, Hoffenheim, Red Star Belgrade, AEK Athens.

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Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of today's Champions League draw, which takes place in Monaco as the group stage is revealed for the 32 teams remaining in the competition.

Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham make up the Premier League contingent at Europe's top table this season, with fans eager to discover where they'll be heading on their travels.

With the draw ceremony due to begin at 5pm, we'll bring you all the latest build-up and news from Monaco an hour before the action gets underway, ensuring you don't miss a beat as the Premier League's four representatives discover their fate.

Jack de Menezes30 August 2018 13:11
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The big names are already arriving at the ceremony, with David Beckham in attendance to collect his Uefa President Award - whatever that is - and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah flying in by helicopter for the ceremony.

Salah is of course up as a nominee for player of the year, alongside prolific winner Cristiano Ronaldo and his former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric.

Jack de Menezes30 August 2018 16:08
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And if you needed proof of Salah's arrival, here it is!

Though he appears to have forgotten his suit...

Jack de Menezes30 August 2018 16:15
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It's not only the men's player of the year award that will be up for grabs this evening, as the women's gong will also be given out as part of the ceremony.

Olympique Lyonnais head the shortlist with two of their players nominated in the form of Norway's Ada Hegerberg and France's Amandine Henry, while Danish striker Pernille Harder will hope to beat the pair to the award as Wolsburg's lone representative.

Jack de Menezes30 August 2018 16:25
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The ceremony returns to Monaco following last year's triumph, with Uefa deciding that there headquarters in Nyon was no longer glamorous enough for their extravagant gala. 

Somehow, the European governing body has also managed to stretch out the draws across TWO days, meaning that we will not discover the Europa League groups until midday on Friday.

Sorry Arsenal and Chelsea fans - and maybe even Burnley! - but you're going to have to wait a little longer to discover where you'll be heading in Europe this season.

Jack de Menezes30 August 2018 16:30
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Who's winning?Manchester City, undoubtedly. Their Premier League triumph last season guarantees them a spot in the first pot, and ensures they cannot play any of their fellow teams in the hat that includes 13-time winners Real Madrid. Barcelona, PSG, Juventus and Europa League winner Atletico Madrid. They also cannot meet either Spurs or Manchester United from Pot Two, so they already know that one of Dortmund, Porto, Shakhtar, Benfica, Napoli and Roma will be in their squad.

Who's losing?But for Liverpool the draw makes quite glum reading. Not only do they face being grouped with one of the European heavyweights in the top bracket, they will also face one of the Pot Two candidates mentioned above, having missed out on a place among the second seeds after Benfica qualified yesterday.

Spurs and United are both second seeds, meaning they'll get one big hitter from the top shelf - or Lokomotiv Moscow - and then a team from Pot Three that isn't Liverpool, along with a supposed 'minnow' in Pot 4.

Jack de Menezes30 August 2018 16:35
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Sergio Ramos knows how to make an entrance...

The Spain captain has arrived along with player of the year nominee and Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric looking as fly as they come, although with four Champions League winners' medals in the bag already, you kind of expect something spectacular, don't you? 

Jack de Menezes30 August 2018 16:43
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When will the games be?Here's a few important dates for your diary:

Matchday one - 18/19 September

Matchday two - 2/3 October

Matchday three - 23/24 October

Matchday four - 6/7 November

Matchday five - 27/28 November

Matchday six - 11/12 December

The draw for the last-16 will take place the following Monday on 17 December, back at Uefa's HQ in Nyon.

Jack de Menezes30 August 2018 16:47
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With just 10 minutes to go until the ceremony gets underway, here's a reminder of the pots:

Pot 1: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Lokomotiv Moscow.

Pot 2: Borussia Dortmund, Porto, Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Benfica, Napoli, Tottenham Hotspur, Roma.

Pot 3: Liverpool, Schlke, Lyon, AS Monaco, Ajax, CSKA Moscow, PSV Eindhoven, Valencia.

Pot 4: Viktoria Plzen, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Young Boys, Inter Milan, Hoffenheim, Red Star Belgrade, AEK Athens.

Jack de Menezes30 August 2018 16:50
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  ↵We're just five minutes away from the ceremony kicking off, but if you're a Liverpool fan wondering how your club has ended up in Pot Three despite last season's final appearance, look no further:

Jack de Menezes30 August 2018 16:55

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