Life is good in the north of London and on Tyneside.
Both Arsenal and Newcastle United have enjoyed fantastic 2022-23 Premier League campaigns that are on a collision course with offering a return to the Champions League after years of being on the European periphery, or in the Magpies’ case, downright cast out entirely.
It has been six seasons since the Gunners last competed in the continent’s top club competition, with their 19-year run featuring European nights in the capital coming to an end after the 2016-17 campaign. As for the Magpies, their exodus from continental clashes in the Champions League has lasted two decades, with the likes of Alan Shearer, Nolberto Solano, Laurent Robert, and Kieran Dyer leading the club in midweek.
Now that both clubs are set for a return to the competition, Swiss Football Data produced a predicted pot list for the 2023-24 Champions League group stage draw should all clubs remain in their current positions.
Celtic and Rangers from Scotland are both predicted to play Champions League again.
Rangers would be seeded in Pot 3 if they survive the qualifiers. Celtic would most likely end up in Pot 4.#Rangers #Celtic #RangersFC #CelticFC #SPFL pic.twitter.com/4yha1LfhBq
— Swiss Football Data (@swissfootdata) May 2, 2023
Newcastle’s lengthy absence unsurprisingly has them coming in pot 4, along with Real Sociedad, French giants Olympique de Marseille, Scottish juggernaut Celtic, Bundesliga overachievers Union Berlin and SC Freiburg (subject to change given upcoming results), RC Lens, and Galatasaray.
For Arsenal, the coefficient improvement of the Dutch Eredivisie which has seen them pull ahead of Liga Portugal Bwin in sixth is likely to keep the Gunners out of pot 1 and into pot 2 on the back of Feyenoord Rotterdam’s impending league win. As such, Mikel Arteta’s high-flying Gunners would be added into a pot including some massive names in Europe, with projections putting Real Madrid, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Atlético Madrid, FC Porto, and Shakhtar Donetsk in the same group.
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