Champions League group stage draw: Pot 2

UEFA.com profiles the eight teams in Pot 2 ahead of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Istanbul on 25 August.

Four previous UEFA Champions League winners are among the sides in Pot 2, while the remaining quartet all have impressive recent European pedigree of their own.

Liverpool (ENG)

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2021/22): 2
How they qualified: English runners-up
Last season: Runners-up (L 0-1 vs Real Madrid)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1976/77, 1977/78, 1980/81, 1983/84, 2004/05, 2018/19)

2021/22: Six wins from six Group B games gave an early indication that Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool side meant business once again last season. So much so, in fact, that at one point they were in contention to win the quadruple after lifting the League Cup and FA Cup. However, the remainder of the campaign did not pan out quite as planned as the Reds finished second to Manchester City in the Premier League title race by a single point and narrowly lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid.

Chelsea (ENG)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 5
How they qualified: Third in England
Last season: Quarter-finals (L 4-5agg vs Real Madrid)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (2011/12, 2020/21)

2021/22: The 2020/21 winners eased into the Champions League knockout rounds with four wins and a draw in Group H, and earned a 4-1 aggregate success over LOSC Lille in the last 16 as their tilt at defending their crown gathered steam. Thomas Tuchel's side lost the first leg of their quarter-final at home to Real Madrid but were on course to progress in the return fixture until a late rally from the eventual champions turned the tie on its head. Domestically, the Blues finished 19 points off the pace but qualified comfortably for European competition again in third place.

Barcelona (ESP)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 6
How they qualified: Spanish runners-up
Last season: Group stage, Europa League quarter-finals
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1991/92, 2005/06, 2008/09, 2010/11, 2014/15)

2021/22: Last term was undoubtedly a frustrating one for the Blaugrana given their success in recent years. Back-to-back defeats by Bayern and Benfica in their opening Champions League outings did not bode well and although the team rallied, Barcelona failed to progress from their section for the first time since 2000/01. Under the guidance of former midfield star Xavi Hernández they progressed to the Europa League quarter-finals but were knocked out by eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt. Second place in La Liga, albeit 13 points behind rivals Real Madrid, ensured their qualification for the Champions League once more in 2022/23.

Juventus (ITA)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 8
How they qualified: Fourth in Italy
Last season: Round of 16 (L 1-4agg vs Villarreal)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1984/85, 1995/96)

2021/22: After leading Juventus to five consecutive Serie A titles between 2014 and 2019, Massimiliano Allegri returned to the Bianconeri dugout ahead of the 2021/22 campaign. More success appeared likely as they reached the Champions League knockout stage with ease thanks to five Group H victories, but a surprise last-16 defeat by dark horses Villarreal brought their European journey to an unexpectedly early end. Matters did not go as planned domestically either, with defeat to Inter in the Coppa Italia final and a fourth-placed finish in Serie A, 16 points behind champions Milan.

Atlético de Madrid (ESP)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 9
How they qualified: Third in Spain
Last season: Quarter-finals (L 0-1agg vs Man. City)
Best European Cup performance: Runners-up (1973/74, 2013/14, 2015/16)

2021/22: It was an eventual season of recovery for Los Colchoneros, whose mid-season form threatened to derail their aspirations both domestically and in Europe after the winter break. The reigning Liga champions eventually overcame a December dip to finish third, and a dramatic Matchday 6 win away to Porto took them from bottom of the section to send them into the UEFA Champions League last 16 as Group B runners-up. A famous knockout stage aggregate victory against Manchester United could not be repeated in the following round against the Red Devils' neighbours, with Man. City squeezing through 1-0 on aggregate in a dramatic quarter-final.

Sevilla (ESP)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 12
How they qualified: Fourth in Spain
Last season: Group stage (Europa League round of 16)
Best European Cup performance: Quarter-finals (1957/58, 2017/18)

2021/22: Despite securing a top-four spot for the third season in a row – something they last achieved in the late 1950s – there could be a feeling Sevilla's campaign promised more. They lost just four Liga matches, boasted the league's best defence, and were largely the only challengers to the division's pacesetters before falling away. An inability to replicate home form on the road proved their undoing in Europe too. After finishing third in their Champions League group, they eventually let a first-leg lead slip to go out of the Europa League round of 16 away to West Ham.

Leipzig (GER)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 13
How they qualified: Fourth in Germany
Last season: Group stage (Europa League semi-finals)
Best European Cup performance: Semi-finals (2019/20)

2021/22: A slow start by Julian Nagelsmann's replacement Jesse Marsch left the club out of the Champions League and in the bottom half of the Bundesliga in early December. Domenico Tedesco took over and oversaw an impressive end to the campaign, thanks to the emergence of Christopher Nkunku as a regular goalscorer. The reinvigorated side would almost clinch a spot in the Europa League final – but for a dramatic second-leg comeback by Rangers in Glasgow – instead making history as they clinched their first major honour in the form of the German Cup.

Tottenham (ENG)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 14
How they qualified: Fourth in England
Last season: Europa Conference League group stage
Best European Cup performance: Runners-up (2018/19)

2021/22: Antonio Conte took over the reins from Nuno Espírito Santo in November 2021 with Spurs mid-table in the Premier League. There were some inconsistent results initially as the team adapted to the new man in charge, including defeats by Mura and Rennes in the Europa Conference League as Tottenham's continental campaign ended at the group stage. However, Conte's side soon improved and began climbing the domestic standings to such an extent that they leapfrogged north London rivals Arsenal late in the season to clinch fourth place and a return to the Champions League.