Bayern seeded for Champions League draw
After reaching the Champions League quarter-finals last season, Bayern's improved UEFA coefficient has returned the Munich giants to the list of the top eight clubs in Europe. The new total of 105.708 ranking points means the Bavarians move up a place on last year from ninth to eighth, a step up with huge significance for the Champions League group stage draw in Monaco on 27 August, where Bayern will now be one of the seeded teams in Pot 1.
"We're very pleased to be back in Pot 1 with the best teams in Europe,“ commented FCB chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. At last season's group stage draw, Bayern had to be content with a less favourable position in Pot 2.
The best UEFA coefficient after the 2008-9 campaign belongs to Champions League winners Barcelona (131.505), ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool on 129.233 apiece. Apart from Bayern, the top eight features the English Big Four, AC Milan and Sevilla. These seven clubs – assuming Arsenal come through a play-off round ahead of the group phase – cannot be drawn in a group with the men from Munich. Clubs such as Olympique Lyon (10th), Inter Milan (11th) and Real Madrid (13th) are behind the Bundesliga runners-up in the ranking.
UEFA coefficient ranking - Top 10:
1. Barcelona 131.505
2. Chelsea 129.233
2. Liverpool 129.233
4. Manchester United 122.233
5. AC Milan 118.758
6. Arsenal 117.233
7. Sevilla 110.505
8. Bayern 105.708
9. Werder Bremen 98.708
10. Olympique Lyon 97.554
