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

For the first time in their history, Manchester City will go into a Champions League campaign as the holders.

After a few years as the consistently defeated 'team to beat', the Cityzens finally got their hands on the trophy in 2022/23 alongside a Premier League title and the FA Cup, meaning they equalled Manchester United's treble achievement.

Arguably the most impressive thing about Man City's journey to Champions League glory in 2022/23 is that they never really looked in any trouble. They had a slight wobble in the first leg against RB Leipzig in the last 16 before emphatically progressing.

City then cruised past Bayern Munich and Real Madrid before beating Inter in a final which, while very tight, was only ever going to end in one result.

Winning the Champions League is really hard, but defending it is even harder. Here are some of the teams City could be facing straight from the off.

What 2023/24 Champions League pot are Man City in?

Given they won the Premier League and the Champions League, there are no prizes for guessing which pot Pep Guardiola's side are in.

They could have taken two places in Pot 1 had the rules allowed it, but instead their double qualification means Feyenoord go into Pot 1 as Dutch champions.

2023/24 Champions League pot 1

Manchester City's 2023/24 potential Champions League group stage opponents

You may have noticed that Pot 1 does not actually look as terrifying as it normally would. That can only mean one thing; Pot 2 is stacked with superb teams that can cause anyone issues.

There's one side that stands out above the rest; Real Madrid. Man City may have cruised past them last season, but they have already added Jude Bellingham and will not stop there.

There are other brilliant teams such as Inter, Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. Manchester United and Arsenal are also Pot 2 side but cannot meet in the group stage.

When you get down towards Pots 3 and 4, there are clubs that can cause issues for anyone on their day. That being said, there is little at this stage to strike any serious fear into the hearts of City fans.

It is all redundant as far as Pot 3 is concerned because Man City will just draw Shakhtar Donetsk again, as is tradition. If by some miracle they don't, the other teams confirmed for Pot 3 are RB Salzburg, AC Milan, Lazio, PSV, Braga, Red Star Belgrade and Copenhagen. A little trip to Italy could certainly be on the horizon for Man City.

City will avoid Newcastle in Pot 4, but there are a couple of tricky away tests that the holders will be hoping to avoid. Union Berlin and Galatasaray stick out as the two sides that could give City issues on home soil. Real Sociedad are a lovely side to watch, but whether they can compete with Guardiola's men is another question.

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

City have engaged in some historic duels with Real Madrid over the past two years and they overcame Los Blancos in scintillating fashion last season on their way to the crown.

Carlo Ancelotti's side have evolved considerably from their most recent meeting with Cityzens, but they're nonetheless the team for City to avoid from Pot 2.

Shakhtar boast the highest coefficient in Pot 3, although the Cityzens would be pretty content with drawing the Ukrainian outfit. There are certainly sterner tests, most notably Milan, who look reinvigorated in 2023/24 after their disappointing Serie A title defence last season.

Swiss side Young Boys are the apparent top dogs in Pot 4, although City won't mind a trip to Switzerland. The two clubs have never faced off against each other in a competitive setting.

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