Arsenal's 2023/24 Champions League pot & potential group stage opponents

Arsenal's last appearance in the Champions League ended in humiliation, their manager lamenting the team's "mental collapse" and masses of fans demanding his prompt sacking.

The 10-2 aggregate defeat Arsene Wenger's side suffered at the hands of Bayern Munich in 2017 is not a tough act for Mikel Arteta's modern vintage to follow. However, this young squad which lacks experience in continental competition could face a tough readjustment period in the club's first Champions League season for six years.

Here's who the Gunners could potentially come up against on their return to Europe's premier club competition.

What 2023/24 Champions League pot are Arsenal in?

The seeding process for the Champions League group stage starts with dividing the qualified clubs into four separate pots - with each group of four made up of one pot member.

Pot one consists of the reigning Champions League (Manchester City) and Europa League (Sevilla) champions alongside the winners of Europe's seven highest-ranked leagues. Despite spending longer at the Premier League summit than any other club, Arsenal missed out on the title.

The rest of the seeding is decided by each club's UEFA coefficient - a single number which reflects the team's previous performance in European competition. As regulars in the Europa League knockout stage during their absence from the top table, Arsenal snuck into pot two.

Teams cannot be drawn in the group stage against other clubs inside their pot, ensuring that Arsenal avoided the likes of record-champions Real Madrid and last season's runners-up Inter.

2023/24 Champions League pot 2

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Arsenal's 2023/24 potential Champions League group stage opponents

Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle also qualified for the Champions League via England's top flight. As there is a ban of two teams from the same association facing off at the first round of the competition, Arsenal will not be drawn against any of their compatriots.

However, that still leaves a slew of accomplished sides as potential opponents. Bayern Munich could return to the Emirates for a rematch six years on, qualifying for pot one courtesy of a final-day implosion from Borussia Dortmund which handed the Bavarian's an 11th consecutive league title.

Serie A champions Napoli may not pose the same threat they boasted during the 2022/23 campaign after losing manager Luciano Spalletti (and with departures for some star names on the pitch also rumoured) but they have experience of defeating Premier League opposition, routing Liverpool 4-1 in last season's group stage. Sevilla, despite finishing 12th in La Liga, knocked out Manchester United en route to a record-extending seventh Europa League title.

Arteta could return to former employers Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain next season as winners of La Liga and Ligue 1 respectively. Portuguese champions Benfica would also be a tricky posting while Eredivisie holders Feyenoord - theoretically - are the weakest pot one team.

Champions League semi-finalists AC Milan stand out as one of the least-desirable teams to draw from pot three. Lazio finished as runners-up in Serie A - above the Rossoneri - while recording the second-most clean sheets in Europe's top five leagues.

Union Berlin may be comPeting in the Champions League for the first time in the club's History but Urs Fischer's expertly drilled side will be awkward pot four opponents for any team they come up against.

Six potential foes for Arsenal are as yet unknown and will present themselves once Champions League qualification has concluded in late August.

Arsenal's toughest potential 2023/24 Champions League group (according to UEFA coefficient)

Based solely on each club's UEFA coefficient, the toughest group Arsenal could be drawn into would contain Bayern Munich, Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Sociedad.

Before losing Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea - even though he was gunning for a move to Arsenal - in January, Shakhtar finished third in a tough Champions League group behind Real Madrid and RB Leipzig, coming within seconds of defeating Los Blancos until Antonio Rudiger's 95th-minute equaliser.

Shakhtar made it to the same round of the Europa League as Arsenal (last 16) but were on the end of a 7-1 mauling in the second leg away to Feyenoord after a respectable 1-1 draw at home.

Four days after Arsenal were beaten 3-1 by Manchester United at Old Trafford last October, Real Sociedad claimed a 1-0 win in the same venue. In fact, no team has beaten Erik ten Hag's side at the Theatre of Dreams since La Real.

Imanol Alguacil's parsimonious outfit finished fourth in La Liga, building a rock solid defensive foundation with a feverish press which allowed the side's attacking stars to flourish. Former Manchester City star David Silva, rolling back the years at 37, is an integral part of the San Sebastian side which Arteta used to play for.