Toon in bottom group of seeds

By Matthew Jones
June 30 2002

Newcastle have been provisionally placed in the bottom group of seeds for the Champions League along with Scottish champions Celtic.

Newcastle have been provisionally placed in the bottom group of seeds for the Champions League along with Scottish champions Celtic.

Sir Bobby Robson's men are also alongside Ajax, Rosenborg, RC Lens, Club Brugge, Sturm Graz and Boavista in Pot 4, who all have to pre-qualify for the competition.

Double winners Arsenal join European champions Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Valencia and Inter Milan in Pot 1, although Manchester United, Barca, Munich and Inter have to come through qualifying before taking their place in the European elite.

Runners-up Liverpool, who also have to pre-qualify, are in Pot 2.

Those teams in the same group cannot be drawn against each other, whilst teams from the same country are kept apart in the draw for the group stages.

Seedings in full:
Pot 1: Real Madrid (Esp), Bayern Munich * (Ger), MANCHESTER UNITED * (Eng), FC Barcelona * (Esp), Valencia (Esp), Juventus (Ita), ARSENAL (Eng), Inter Milan * (Ita).

Pot 2: Deportivo La Coruna (Esp), Bayer Leverkusen (Ger), LIVERPOOL (Eng), Galatasaray (Tur), AS Roma (Ita), Olympique Lyon (Fra), Borussia Dortmund (Ger), Feyenoord * (Ned).

Pot 3: AC Milan * (Ita), PSV Eindhoven (Ned), Dinamo Kiev * (Ukr), Spartak Moscow (Rus), Lokomotiv Moscow * (Rus), Olympiakos (Gre), AEK Athens * (Gre), Sparta Prague * (Cze)

Pot 4: Ajax (Ned), Rosenborg * (Nor), RC Lens (Fra), NEWCASTLE UNITED * (Eng), Club Brugge * (Bel), Sturm Graz * (Aut), Boavista * (Por), Celtic * (Sco).

Teams marked with an asterisk have yet to qualify.