UEFA has revealed a new Champions League seeding system which will see the champions of the seven biggest leagues in Europe named as top seeds for the group stage drawn along with the Champions League winner.
Currently, the eight sides with the best co-efficient score from the last five seasons are named in the first pot of top seeds for the draw.
However, under the new guidelines, Premier League sides Arsenal and Manchester United would drop into the second pot with Chelsea likely to claim the Premier League title.
Manchester City, who were Premier League champions last year but not a top seed, could be in the pot of third seeds as they are now outside the top 16 on co-efficient rank.
Reigning Champions League winners Real Madrid would also drop into the second pot if they fail to retain their title and rivals Barcelona win La Liga.
If the Champions League winner is also the champion of their domestic league, then the Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven would become the eighth and final top seed.
Pascal Lemesre
