As it stands, 26 teams are already assured of their places in the competition thanks to their domestic league finishes or, in the case of Villarreal, as Europa League winners. Six more places are still to be decided, by the third qualifying round that is due to conclude next Wednesday evening.

Pot one of four contains the Champions League holders, Europa League holders and the champions of the top six-ranked associations: Spain, England, Germany, Italy, France, Portugal. This means United will be drawn against one of the following top seeds: Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Lille, Sporting or Villarreal.

Chelsea and Manchester City.are ruled out, because sides from the same country can't be drawn against each other at this stage.

So, who do you want from Pot 1? Let us know in the poll below…

EDITORIAL PICKS

Writers from United media explain which Pot 1 clubs they'd love to face in the Champions League group stage...

Adam Marshall: United have never played at Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium and, by all accounts, it’s an atmospheric amphitheatre that would sound wonderful with the noisy travelling Reds belting out our anthems. We’ve only been drawn in Europe with the current champions of La Liga once before and I’m old enough to remember it. The outrageously gifted, if rather one-footed, Paulo Futre plotted our downfall in a 3-0 loss at their former home, the Vicente Calderon, before a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in 1991.So it’s about time we played them again and got a chance to work out how to break down Diego Simeone’s well-constructed defensive system.

Sam Carney: It’s been 18 long months since United’s last ‘proper’ European away, a trip to Bruges in February 2020. After missing out on Paris, San Sebastian, Granada, Rome and others since, travelling Reds deserve the chance to visit a great city and Lisbon is one of the continent’s very best, offering culture, sunshine, spectacular cuisine and warm, welcoming hospitality. Sporting, who we’ve faced four times before, have nurtured some superb talent over the years (old boys Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani starred for United in our last visit, 14 years ago) and this will be a chance for current talisman Bruno Fernandes to once again wow the fans at the ground where he made his name.

Joe Ganley: Okay, I’ll admit it: I’m still not over Gdansk. And they say you’ve got to face your problems head-on, so the chance to play Villarreal again and hopefully knock them out of the Champions League could be a vital stage in my recovery process. Plus there’s no prospect of a penalty shootout in group-stage games, thank God! I reckon Ole and the lads would relish a second crack at Unai Emery’s team, too; rather that than face the champions of Germany (Bayern Munich), Italy (Internazionale) or Spain (Atletico Madrid). The area of Spain where the Yellow Submarine are based is also decent for away fans too, with Valencia and Barcelona both within reasonable distance.

Mark Froggatt: Have we ever told you about the Treble? Okay, we are at times guilty of milking it, but it’s one of the greatest stories in football history and with Ole at the wheel it’s all too easy to reminisce. The boss is intrinsically linked to Bayern Munich, of course, and group-stage ties against the Bundesliga giants would be absolutely electrifying for all involved. They’re a fantastic club, with an outstanding team and an innovative stadium that is perfect for a long-overdue European away. The city of Munich is also a significant, emotional part of our history and, given the chance, our travelling fans would value the opportunity to pay their respects to those who were lost in 1958.

2021/22 GROUP STAGE AS IT STANDS

ESP: Atletico de Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Villarreal
ENG: Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea
GER: Bayern, RB Leipzig, Dortmund, Wolfsburg
ITA: Inter Milan, AC Milan, Atalanta, Juventus
FRA: LOSC Lille, Paris Saint-Germain
POR: Sporting CP, Porto
RUS: Zenit
BEL: Club Brugge
UKR: Dynamo Kyiv
NED: Ajax
TUR: Besiktas

GROUP STAGE SCHEDULE
14/15 September 2021: Matchday 1
28/29 September 2021: Matchday 2
19/20 October 2021: Matchday 3
2/3 November 2021: Matchday 4
23/24 November 2021: Matchday 5
7/8 December 2021: Matchday 6