Leicester Champions League seeding confirmed; Foxes could face Messi or Real Madrid in group stage

Posted Tuesday, May 03, 2016 by Caughtoffside.com

Having confirmed their unlikely Premier League title triumph on Monday evening, Leicester City have been guaranteed a spot as top seeds in the 2016-17 Champions League.

Despite having a negligible European coefficient, the Foxes will be pooled among the continent's leading sides ahead of the group stage draw, meaning that they won't be able to face the champions from the top six or seven leagues in Europe.

This means that they definitely won't be able to face Paris Saint-Germain, who have already wrapped up the French title or Italian champs Juventus, while Bayern Munich—on the brink of the Bundesliga crown—are unlikely to be heading to the King Power Stadium in the first round either.

Similarly, Leicester aren't able to face any of the other English sides in the group stage, meaning that whichever of Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, West Ham United or Liverpool book their spots in next year's UCL, they won't be able to meet the Foxes in the opening round.

However, despite their favourable seeding, Leicester haven't yet avoided the prospect of meeting either Real Madrid or Barcelona in the first round.

Should Atletico Madrid win La Liga, and should Real miss out on the Champions League title, both of the Spanish giants will drop into pot two ahead of the group-stage draw.

While Leicester will surely feel invincible after their miraculous title success, even Claudio Ranieri's heroes may baulk at the prospect of a trip to the Nou Camp or the Bernabeu!