BLUES’ PATH TO GLORY NO GENTLE TUCH

THOMAS TUCHEL will discover Chelsea’s path in the Champions League today – and the holders could end up in a Group of Death.

Chelsea are among the top seeds after winning the trophy in May and yet there is some heavyweight competition in pot two as it includes Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.

Manchester City are also in pot one as they are Premier League champions along with the other domestic title holders from the major leagues while Villarreal are top seeds after winning the Europa League.

Blues boss Tuchel led Chelsea to glory in May as they beat City in an allEnglish final which was switched to Porto because of travel restrictions. These could also yet be a factor in the Group stage if more European countries get switched to the red list.

Manchester United and Liverpool are both in pot two while the likes of AC Milan and Ajax will be teams to avoid from pots three and four.

PSG have already been installed as favourites with many bookies after signing Lionel Messi and the pressure will be on Mauricio Pochettino to deliver the trophy. The draw takes place in Istanbul at 5pm UK time with special guests, Chelsea legends Branislav Ivanovic and Michael Essien both in attendance.

Because Turkey is still on the red list, there is unlikely to be much in the way of English representation in Istanbul even among VIPs from the Premier League clubs.

Chelsea midfielder Jorginho is red-hot favourite to be named Player of the Year by UEFA after winning the Champions League and also the Euros with Italy in the summer.