Champions League Draw 2017: Time, Live-Stream Schedule for Group-Stage Reveal

The draw for this season's UEFA Champions League group stage will take place on Thursday at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

Holders Real Madrid—winners of three of the last four tournaments—lead pot one, while Premier League duo Manchester City and Manchester United find themselves in pot two. Liverpool are among those who still need to secure their places in the draw by winning their qualifying ties.

Before a look at the potential draw, here are the schedule and viewing details:

Date: Thursday, August 24

Time: 5 p.m. BST/12 p.m. ET.

TV Info: BT Sport 2, Fox Sports 1.

Live Stream: BT Sport App, Fox Soccer Match Pass.

How the Draw Works

Teams are seeded and divided into the following pots:

Pot 1

• Real Madrid
• Bayern Munich
• Chelsea
• Juventus
• Benfica
• AS Monaco
• Spartak Moscow
• Shakhtar Donetsk

Pot 2

• Barcelona
• Atletico Madrid
• Paris Saint-Germain
• Borussia Dortmund
• Manchester City
• FC Porto
• Manchester United

Pot 3

• FC Basel
• Anderlecht
• AS Roma
• Besiktas

Pots for Tottenham Hotspur, RB Leipzig and Eredivisie champions Feyenoord are still to be confirmed, per Goal's Ryan Kelly.

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

The usual rules apply to the draw, with no team able to be put with an opponent from the same league. Once the draw is done, the group-stage schedule comprises the following six matchdays, per the tournament's official website:

• Matchday 1: September 12 and 13.
• Matchday 2: September 26 and 27.
• Matchday 3: October 17 and 18.
• Matchday 4: October 31 and November 1.
• Matchday 5: November 21 and 22
• Matchday 6: December 5 and 6

All group matches will be played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The tournament's official website also confirmed how several individual awards will be handed out as part of the draw ceremony. They include the UEFA Men's Player of the Year, as well as the Women's award. There will also be accolades for the best goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and forward from last season's competition.

Real Madrid Still Stronger than the Rest

Even after a summer of heavy spending, both in England and across Europe, holders Real still look like the class of the tournament. Los Blancos have the most balanced squad in the competition.

They boast a terrific forward line led by Cristiano Ronaldo, who always saves his best for Europe's premier club tournament. The Portugal international scored 12 times in last season's Champions League, per WhoScored.com.

Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

Behind Ronaldo, Los Merengues feature the most complementary midfield trio in Europe. Holding player Casemiro is a terrific shield for the defence, while Luka Modric and Toni Kroos can boss possession and create chances against anybody.

Further back, there is plenty of know-how in a defence still underpinned by the brawn and experience of skipper Sergio Ramos, as well as left-back Marcelo's creativity and athleticism.

There just isn't an obvious weakness in a team sure to again be involved in the final reckoning.

Big-Spending Clubs Pose Biggest Challenge

The teams most likely to challenge Real's dominance are the big spenders. Among them, Paris Saint-Germain have boosted their ranks with the world-record signing of Neymar from Barcelona.

The Brazilian has already made a fast start to life in Ligue 1, per Squawka Football:

Neymar-led PSG will be a force, but so will the two Manchester clubs. United have recruited striker Romelu Lukaku and defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic, while City have spent big on full-backs Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy, as well as playmaker Bernardo Silva.

Both sides have started their domestic campaigns in dominant fashion, with United particularly impressing in back-to-back 4-0 wins in the Premier League.

The beauty of the seeding system in recent years is how it's ensured two strong contenders per group. Last season saw Real paired with Borussia Dortmund, City in the same group as Barcelona, while Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid were also thrown together.

Hopefully, this year's draw will offer similar marquee ties for the groups, even if the familiar teams are sure to dominate and eventually advance to the knockout stage.