Arsenal’s first Champions League campaign since 2016/17 will see Mikel Arteta’s squad take on Sevilla, PSV Eindhoven, and Lens in the group stages.
Head-to-head records
Arsenal vs Sevilla
W – 1
L – 1
We played Sevilla in the group stages of the 2007/08 Champions League, winning 3-0 at home and losing 3-1 away. Both teams advanced to the Round of 16. We’ve also faced them twice in the Emirates Cup in the last six years.
Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven
W – 3
L – 3
D – 2
This is the fourth time we’ve been drawn against PSV in the Champions League (previously 02/03, 04/05 and 07/08) and we, of course, faced them last season in the Europa League winning at home and losing away.
Arsenal vs Lens
W – 2
L – 1
D – 1
Lens caused Arsenal all sorts of damage in the 97/98 group stages with a 1-0 win at Wembley. We then faced (and beat) them two years later in the UEFA Cup on our run to the final.
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When will the matches take place?
The kick-off times will be confirmed in due course but the matchday schedule runs as follows:
Matchday 1: 19/20 September 2023
Matchday 2: 3/4 October 2023
Matchday 3: 24/25 October 2023
Matchday 4: 7/8 November 2023
Matchday 5: 28/29 November 2023
Matchday 6: 12/13 December 2023
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Full Group Stage Draw
Group A
Bayern Munich
Manchester United
FC Copenhagen
Galatasaray
Group B
Sevilla
Arsenal
PSV Eindhoven
Lens
Group C
Napoli
Real Madrid
SC Braga
Union Berlin
Group D
Benfica
Inter Milan
Salzburg
Real Sociedad
Group E
Feyenoord
Atletico Madrid
Lazio
Celtic
Group F
Paris Saint-Germain
Borussia Dortmund
AC Milan
Newcastle United
Group G
Manchester City
RB Leipzig
Red Star Belgrade
Young Boys
Group H
Barcelona
Porto
Shakhtar Donetsk
Royal Antwerp
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What happened last time we were in the Champions League?
The last time the Gunners kicked a ball in anger in Europe’s top competition, we were humiliated in the Round of 16 by Bayern Munich who beat us 10-2 on aggregate.
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What happens to the Champions League next season?
This will be the final time that the Champions League takes place in its current format ahead of a radical revamp. From next year, the competition will expand from 32 to 36 teams with each side playing 10 group matches instead of the current 6, using a “Swiss model” system where teams would be seeded based on their UEFA coefficient rankings.
As a result of the revised format, there’s a high chance that five (vs four) Premier League will qualify for the competition at the end of this season.
Seems a pretty kind draw
Psv and sevilla…potential banana peels…matches you must play at full strength…a good thing we bulked up the squad…overall better than United’s group..as good a draw as we could have wished for….
It’s the champions league bro… no strolls in the park here. This is an excellent draw. No heavy weights and very “local” opponents.
Plus Our record in Europe is way to poor compared to our stature
Sevilla are in free fall, bottom of La Liga and the entire squad on the transfer list. Lens haven’t started the season well either. Very kind draw.
I agree. Newcastle’s draw, on the other hand…oof! Let’s hope it’s as demoralising an experience as it looks on paper!
I’d tip Newcastle to top the group
And we’re baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!
Good draw… Short trips
Yeah. Enjoy istanbul Erik, Marcus etc. Lovely city
Disappointing. I know it’s relatively straightforward but we haven’t been in the big time for so long. I was lusting after Real Madrid and AC Milan
See ’em in the knockouts hopefully!
I understand your POV. For me I just want the romance of those big nights. Obviously I want the team to progress and win it, I just think we have enough to have the big teams and win early on.
Just a hunch but I think we’d fare better against the big continental teams than Premier League.
You dont want big teams in the group stages. You want to give game time to as with as much of the second string as you can get away with.
For instance Fully hope to see ie Reiss starting against Lens, oit Bakayo
Alright, I concede on this point. COYG.
Very good draw for the team but no big games to get excited about.
It’s the Champions League. They’re all big games. After six years in the wilderness, we’re going to be picky now?!
Seville isn’t a big game.
Sevilla won 5 EL in the last 10 years,
while PSV is the 2nd most decorated club in Holland…
I think humility will serve us well.
Well said. Arsenal fans forgotten how underwhelming we have been on the European stage. First CL in seven years, yet we’re the ones not playing the big teams LOL
Hopefully we’ll be sending Sevilla back to win the EL this season. Watched PSV hammer Rangers last night and they were impressive. Tough enough but decent group when you look at others though and we must be favourites to top it. Will be interesting to see how the squad is used.
And then there’s me who’s just happy to hear the theme music at the Emirates again
Heavenly could find a million pounds under his bed and still moan about it. That’s just who he is.
Probably best to try and win this before the Saudi teams bribe their way in…
Newcastle are already there.
City been there and have the receipts/trophy to prove it.
Group of death for them
Group F is the group of death!
Honestly who downvoted this 😂😂😂
Why does everyone forget that Saudi own 17% of Clearlake Capital aka Todd Boely nation too
Usmanov owned 25% share of the Arsenal and is now sanctioned. Thankfully he never got control.
This is a group of life for Arsenal – a welcome back pack from the CL gods.
Hurray! Welcome back!
Super kind draw, we should really top this one fairly easily and have plenty of chances to give to some of our less featured squad players. Famous last words I know, but come on, surely…
Really want to see ESR, Vieira, Eddie, Nelson, Kiwior and co. dominate this group
Erm ,.. it isn’t the Europa league.
It’s a similar level of group though. Those players are all extremely talented and should be more than good enough to play and win against these teams, especially at home. Maybe at Sevilla I’d be a bit more cautious and start mostly first choice.
I remember the last time we all underestimated our opppnents, and Mbappe, Bernardo and the rest, came to The Emirates and humbled us
The records against those teams should be better IMO – a chance to start correcting that!
Geordies got absolutely f*cked there,will have to up their bribe game quicksmart. LOL!
Lol magpies got badly f*cked, and perhaps forever will be f*cked. Might have to thank James McNicholas for it…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04f41dXU1jI
Group F looks fun!!!
The audible reaction by the audience to Newcastle’s draw into group f was hilarious!
Yes, some crazy games to watch
The good thing is that Newcastle got the hardest group possible. Hope they crash out with 0 points and 0 goals
They’ll probably go out and buy up all the opposition players before the window closes.
It’s a reasonable group and we have the possibility to top our group. Let’s go for it!
Easy peasy!!!!!
No excuses not to win the group!!!!!
No excuses not to go through, should top the group
Dare i jinx it by suggesting it looks like a favourable draw for us?
Group F,
F for fucked!
Boy that group is scary!. Hope that takes a little bit of sting out of the Saudi boys in the league.
Definitely not a group to get complacent about. We got knocked out by PSV last season and have lost to Sevilla too. Underestimate at your peril.
We didn’t get knocked out by PSV, we did lose to them away in the group stage so definitely not to be underestimated. But if you look at our lineup we started Holding and Lokonga that day, I don’t think we have anyone in the squad that isn’t at least one level up from that
They’re both still in the squad
Hard to believe they will be after tomorrow… not to mention the Champions League squad
Also Champions League Sevilla are shit compared to Thursday night Sevilla. Not being arrogant but we *should* win the group. Hopefully we don’t have to make a one off 4th kit to wear against Lens this time
Blogs, next season each team will play 8 matches in the group stage, not 10.
Look at our league schedule around these champions league games. We have some huge games within a few days of aa lot of these matches.
Feels like the Europa league draw
In Europa league, you meet Sevilla in the finals. Here, you meet them at the group stage. Thats the difference,
Milan v. Dortmund – The Pulisic Powwow (fitness permitting)
Madrid in Berlin could be cool.
Newcastle have a tricky group, at least on paper. I have no idea what PSG is like now.
Arsenal to face its bogey teams in the knockout rounds. As soon as possible, too. Just wait.
Everytime I think of the CL draw I remember an expert in these things once saying the only reason to conduct randomized draws the way UEFA does them is so they can be easily ‘fixed.’ Just food for thought.
I was at that Lens game at Wembley. The highlight was a brawl when Ray Parlour was sent off. We weren’t very good all game.
One too many Jaeger bombs before kickoff for the Romford Pele!
Fair play to mention the 2-10 hammering at the hands of Bayern, but also to be fair, in the first leg we lost Koscielny to injury after 50 minutes with the score 1-1, and in the second leg Koscielny was given a ludicrous red card at 50 minutes while we were leading 1-0. So in 100 minutes with Koscielny, we were actually winning the tie 2-1, and in 80 minutes without him we lost 0-9. What a difference one player makes. I still think if he was on the pitch for the whole 180 minutes, we would have progressed.
Yeah. Reminded me of that ridiculous RvP red when we were leading Barca on aggregate.
I just hope we have already had our share of ludicrous reds this season…
Yeah. Reminded me of that RvP red when we were leading Barca on aggregate as well.
I just hope we have already had our share of ludicrous reds this season…
Newcastle with all the time wasting 0-0 draws 😅
Imagine the banter if we lose the group stage 😂. Sevilla and PSV have been tricky. Its better that the boys turn up for the occasion.