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SEVILLA FC WILL HAVE THE BEST UEFA COEFFICIENT IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAY-OFF DRAW

31/05/2017
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They are eighth in the UEFA coefficient ranking and the seven teams above already have a guaranteed place in the group phase
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Although there remain some details which are still to be confirmed, the coming edition of the Champions League is gradually taking shape. This season, the preliminary rounds will be of interest to Sevilla fans since they will decide the list of possible opponents for the play-off in August. Sporting Lisbon and Hoffenheim are the only two teams who, without any doubt, will be in the unseeded pot. In other words, they could be drawn against Sevilla.

Los Nervionenses will be the team with the highest UEFA coefficient of all those seeded in that round. In fact Sevilla are eighth in the overall ranking, which takes into account a team's performance in Europe over the course of the five previous seasons. Sevilla have a coefficiet of 112,942 points, behind only Real Madrid, Bayern Múnich, FC Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Juventus, PSG and Borussia Dortmund. All seven of those clubs have already qualified for the group phase.

Sevilla FC have a UEFA coefficient of 112,942 points

Sevilla will now have to wait to find out the distribution of seeded and unseeded teams for the list of potential play-off opposition to be completed. This depends on two things. The Greek federation, for example, are yet to decide which teams will play in Europe next season. As well as that, half of the ten teams contesting the play-off round - through the league route, like Sevilla - will have come through the previous round.

We already know that Liverpool and Napoli will be seeded in any case, and are therefore not potential opponents. This would also be the case for Ajax and Dynamo Kiev if they make it through the previous round. The following teams could be drawn against Sevilla if they make it through that round: Bruges, CSKA Moscow, Nice, Steaua Bucharest, Young Boys, Victoria Plzen, Basaksehir and the Greek representative (PAOK or AEK). The other teams would have to get through at least one more round to reach that stage. Everything depends, therefore, on which teams manage to advance to the play-off round to establish a UEFA coefficient ranking and to separate the five best - the seeded teams- from the remaining five.