Bayern, Juventus and Ajax! Man City’s Euro failure means Mancini’s side could face another Champions League group of death. Manchester City are already facing an uphill battle to progress in next season’s Champions League after the club’s failure in this year’s competition sent them sliding down the UEFA rankings. Mancini faces another tough Champions League draw next season with a Pot Three seeding likely

Latest UEFA club coefficients 1. FC Barcelona (ESP) 2. Bayern Munchen (GER) 3. Real Madrid (ESP) 4. Chelsea (ENG) 5. Manchester United (ENG) 6. Arsenal (ENG) 7. Inter Milan (ITA) 8. FC Porto (POR) 9. Valencia (ESP) 10. Benfica (POR) 11. Atletico Madrid (ESP) 12. Olympique Lyon (FRA) 13. Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) 14. AC Milan (ITA) 15. Schalke 04 (GER) 16. Olympique Marseille (FRA) 17. Liverpool (ENG) 18. CSKA Moscow (RUS) 19. Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) 20. Juventus (ITA) 21. Zenit St Petersburg (RUS) 22. Manchester City (ENG) 23. Sporting Lisbon (POR) 24. Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) 25. Dynamo Kiev (UKR)

After failing to pick up a win and finishing bottom of Group D below Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Ajax, City have dropped to 22nd in UEFA’s coefficient ranking table and look set to be seeded in the third pot in the draw for the group stages on August 29. Although it is difficult to say at this point what the exact make-up of the pots will be, City could potentially land in the same group as Bayern Munich, Juventus and Ajax.

However, City still has a chance of gaining a place in Pot Two if Tottenham can finish in the Premier League top four and deny Chelsea or Arsenal a place in the competition. But even that is in limbo as Borussia Dortmund’s success in Europe this season could see the German club, who are currently 31st in the rankings, move above City in the seedings. If Dortmund were to progress to and win next month’s Champions League final, they would automatically attain the No 1 seeding in next season’s competition as defending champions. But if Dortmund do not win at Wembley, they will likely be one of the teams to avoid in Pot Three

It is an improvement for Dortmund from last August’s draw, however, when they were in Pot Four after only being ranked four places ahead of Bolton Wanderers at No 66 at the start of the season. City’s failure to finish third in their group this season and gain a place in the Europa League has proved costly as the coefficient points gained would have given them a better chance of being seeded in Pot Two. The Champions League quarter-final runs of both Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain has seen them overtake City in the coefficient table. Premier League champions Manchester United will be seeded in Pot One, as will Chelsea and Arsenal if they manage to qualify. UEFA’s club coefficient rankings are based on the results of clubs competing in the past five seasons in the Champions League and Europa League.

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Juventus keen on Champions League semifinal quartet.

After Juventus coach Antonio Conte, director general Giuseppe Marotta, and sporting director Fabio Paratici were spotted at Tuesday’s Champions League semifinal between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, speculation went rampant that the three were on a scouting mission for the summer transfer window. The four players being looked at were Madrid’s Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain, and Angel Di Maria, and Dortmund winger Jakub Blaszczykowski.

Benzema and Higuain have been linked to Juventus in the past in their search for a top striker, however, rumours died down once the Bianconeri signed Fenando Llorente in January. Corriere dello Sport reports that Di Maria is currently looking to leave Madrid, and with Juventus rumoured to be in the hunt for a winger, would make sense as a potential target, as would Blaszczykowski.

Higuain currently makes €4m per year, and Benzema makes €6m, the same amount as Juve’s highest earner Gianluigi Buffon. Juventus are also rumoured to be interested in the services of Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben.

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