Champions League group stage draw: Pot 3

UEFA.com profiles the eight teams in Pot 3 ahead of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Istanbul on 25 August.

Three previous Champions League/European Cup winners are among the sides in Pot 3, which is also home to a number of potential dark horses.

Dortmund (GER)

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2021/22): 19
How they qualified: Second in Germany
Last season: Group stage (Europa League knockout round play-offs)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1996/97)

2021/22: Dortmund had high hopes going into the season under newly appointed head coach Marco Rose and began on the front foot with opening Group C victories over Beşiktaş and Sporting CP. Yet those were followed by back-to-back defeats by Ajax and a loss to Sporting, who pipped the German club to second place in the section. Rangers also got the better of Dortmund in the Europa League knockout play-offs, leaving the 1997 winners to focus on domestic matters. They held off the challenge of Leverkusen to finish second in the Bundesliga, eight points behind champions Bayern.

Salzburg (AUT)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 21
How they qualified: Austrian champions
Last season: Round of 16 (L 1-8agg vs Bayern)
Best European Cup performance: Round of 16 (2021/22)

2021/22: Salzburg won their first ten competitive games last season as Matthias Jaissle hit the ground running in the dugout. They carried that form into the Champions League too, winning all three home games and drawing away to Sevilla to advance as Group G runners-up behind LOSC Lille. A 1-1 draw with Bayern in the round of 16 first leg offered hope of an upset until a heavy 7-1 defeat in the return fixture in Munich spelled the end of the line. Their campaign did end on a high note, as Salzburg went on to secure an Austrian league and cup double.

Shakhtar (UKR)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 22
How they qualified: Ukrainian champions
Last season: Group stage
Best European Cup performance: Quarter-finals (2010/11)

2021/22: Shakhtar certainly meant business as they sought to wrestle the domestic crown from Dynamo Kyiv and dropped just seven points across the first 18 matchdays before league operations were put on hold due to the Russian invasion. They were unable to replicate that kind of form in the Champions League though, earning just two points as they finished bottom of Group D.

Inter (ITA)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 23
How they qualified: Italian runners-up
Last season: Round of 16 (L 1-2agg vs Liverpool)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1963/64, 1964/65, 2009/10)

2021/22: Inter were unable to defend their Serie A title last time out, finishing just two points behind city rivals Milan as runners-up. Simeone Inzaghi's side still ended the season with silverware, however, after overcoming Juventus to claim the Coppa Italia. They progressed to the round of 16 in the Champions League and even beat eventual finalists Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield in the second leg, but it was not enough to overturn a 2-0 defeat from the first leg.

Napoli (ITA)

Napoli were knocked out of the Europa League by BarcelonaUEFA via Getty Images

UEFA coefficient ranking: 25
How they qualified: Third in Italy
Last season: Europa League knockout round play-offs
Best European Cup performance: Round of 16 (1990/91, 2011/12, 2016/17, 2019/20)

2021/22: Napoli were untouchable in the early part of the season and raced to the Serie A summit with victories in their opening eight league games. Luciano Spalletti's men continued their fine form into mid-November before running out of steam somewhat, suffering their first league defeat against Inter. After advancing from Europa League Group C their progress was halted by Barcelona in the knockout round play-offs, but they shook off that disappointment in the season run-in to secure third place in Serie A ahead of Juventus.

Benfica (POR) 

UEFA coefficient ranking: 27
How they qualified: Third in Portugal, play-off winners
Last season: Quarter-finals (L 4-6agg vs Liverpool)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1960/61, 1961/62)

2021/22: Benfica enjoyed a fine start to last season, winning all seven of their opening league games as well as defeating Barcelona in Champions League Group E. The record Portuguese champions were unable to maintain such red-hot form throughout the campaign, although they did finish second behind Bayern to advance to the round of 16, subsequently knocking out Ajax before succumbing to Liverpool in the last eight. The Eagles finished 17 points behind Porto in the Liga and were nine adrift of city rivals Sporting CP, earning their spot in the 2022/23 Champions League via the play-offs.

Sporting CP (POR)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 28
How they qualified: Portuguese runners-up
Last season: Round of 16 (L 0-5agg vs Man. City)
Best European Cup performance: Quarter-finals (1982/83)

2021/22: Sporting raced out of the blocks in the Portuguese Liga and were unbeaten across their first 16 outings, winning 14. It was a different story in the Champions League however, with opening defeats by Ajax and Dortmund setting alarm bells ringing. The Lisbon club heeded the call and rallied to win their next three continental assignments to reach the round of 16. A 5-0 loss at home to Manchester City in the first leg proved too big a mountain to climb, though. They were ultimately unable to sustain their domestic form and ended up six points behind champions Porto.

Leverkusen (GER)

Leverkusen's Europa League tilt ended in disappointment against AtalantaGetty Images

UEFA coefficient ranking: 30
How they qualified: Third in Germany
Last season: Europa League round of 16
Best European Cup performance: Runners-up (2001/02)

2021/22: Gerardo Seoane arrived as head coach in summer 2021 and did not need long to get his attack-minded philosophy across to his players. Leverkusen only failed to find the net in four Bundesliga games last term en route to finishing third, and the goals flowed in the Europa League too. They advanced to the round of 16 as Group G winners – scoring 14 times in six outings – but were eliminated in the round of 16 by Atalanta.