Leicester ready to learn task ahead in group stages

Tournament debutants Leicester City will discover their group-stage rivals when the draw for the Champions League this evening.

Monaco will host the draw, its glitz and glamour offering a stark backdrop to the Foxes’ unlikely ascent into Europe’s elite after they had only seven years ago being playing in the third tier.

Claudio Ranieri’s champions will mix with, and be seeded alongside, heavyweights Barcelona, Bayern Munich and defending champions Real Madrid in Pot 1.

Leicester are therefore well placed to initially avoid the cream of Europe, as the latest reward of their stunning Premier League success.

Manchester City and Arsenal are seeded below in Pot 2, making them susceptible to drawing one of the competition’s powerhouses, while Tottenham and Celtic are even more precariously placed in Pot 3 and 4 respectively.

Most eyes will, however, be on Leicester when the first balls are drawn after the 5pm start time.

The Foxes’ last venture into Europe was 16 years ago, when they were first-round losers to Red Star Belgrade in the Uefa Cup, but their return will at the very least last six matches as Ranieri attempts to match ambitions in the Champions League with a domestic title defence.

There are potential pitfalls awaiting them in the draw, most significantly in Pot 2 where last year’s finalists Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Europa League winners Sevilla lurk, while they could also face a ‘Battle of Britain’ against Celtic.

A worst-case scenario would see Leicester draw Atletico, Basle and Celtic – the club’s with the highest Uefa co-efficient in their pots – while at best they could draw CSKA Moscow, Borussia Monchengladbach and Rostov.

England’s other three participants in the tournament could all be drawn against the club that sent them out of Europe last season.

Celtic nervously booked their place in the draw with a 5-4 aggregate win over Hapoel Be’er Sheva after negotiating a qualification campaign that started with an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to part-timers Lincoln Red Imps in Gibraltar.

Boss Brendan Rodgers nonetheless secured a precious return to the group stage, and the huge financial implications that come with it.