Panathinaikos awaits results of Champions League Draw

Panathinaikos will return to the group stage of the UEFA Champions this coming September, after defeating Sparta Prague 3-1 on aggregate to feature in the tournament’s group stage for the first time in three years. Unfortunately, the Athenian club will be the only Greek representative in the Champions League for the approaching campaign. Their domestic rivals, Olympiacos, were knocked out by Cypriot club Anorthosis Famagusta by the same score-line. A shock to Greek Football, Olympiacos will miss out on the Champions League group stage for the first time in eleven years.

With Olympiacos set for a UEFA Cup appearance, Panathinaikos has their sights set on Monaco where the draw for the Champions League group stages is set to take place tomorrow afternoon. The Greek club will hope to avoid tricky tasks they have been paired with in the past; but at this stage of the competition there is no such thing as an ‘easy’ draw.

Defending Champions, Manchester United, is expected to make a strong push for a second consecutive title, and the Premier League Champions could be paired up with the lone Greek club. Gilberto Silva could face a return to London and his former club, Arsenal FC. Having a long European history, a Panathinaikos-Arsenal pairing could be a reunion of sorts. Another of the third round qualifiers, Barcelona was included in Panathinaikos’ group in the club’s last Champions League go-around. The Spanish giants have acquired a new look with the departure of superstar Brazilian Ronaldinho.

The most successful club in the competition is none other than Real Madrid. Los Galácticos encountered a matchup with Olympiacos in the group stages, and have met Greek clubs on several occasions in the past. No matter the opposition, Real Madrid is always a favourite in this competition.

Like Barcelona, Pot 2 club, Werder Bremen, was also part of the group in Panathinaikos’ last Champions League campaign. The German club won’t be fond of a return trip to Greece, after being thumped at home and on the road by Olympiacos last year.

Despite the ‘dream’ matchups that are conceived by Panathinaikos supporters – or those of any club – nothing can be certain until after the draw is complete. However, one thing is for certain, Panathinaikos won’t be paired with the remaining Pot 3 clubs. Meaning the likes of Marseille, Zenit St. Petersburg, Steaua Bucureşti, Bordeaux, Celtic, Basel, and Fenerbahçe won’t be making the trip to the Greek capital – at least for the group stages.

Pot 1:
Manchester United FC (England)
Chelsea FC (England)
Liverpool FC (England)
FC Barcelona (Spain)
Arsenal FC (England)
Olympique Lyonnais (France)
FC Internazionale Milano (Italy)
Real Madrid CF (Spain)

Pot 2:
FC Bayern München (Germany)
PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
Villarreal CF (Spain)
AS Roma (Italy)
FC Porto (Portugal)
Werder Bremen (Germany)
Sporting Clube de Portugal (Portugal)
Juventus (Italy)

Pot 3:
Olympique de Marseille (France)
FC Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia)
FC Steaua Bucureşti (Romania)
Panathinaikos FC (Greece)
FC Girondins de Bordeaux (France)
Celtic FC (Scotland)
FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland)
Fenerbahçe SK (Turkey)

Pot 4:
FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
ACF Fiorentina (Italy)
Club Atlético de Madrid (Spain)
FC Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine)
CFR 1907 Cluj (Romania)
Aalborg BK (Denmark)
Anorthosis Famagusta FC (Cyprus)
FC BATE Borisov (Belarus)