ARSENAL could be handed a Champions League nightmare draw - as a result of Atalanta’s Europa League triumph.
The 3-0 Dublin win over previously unbeaten Leverkusen that earned the Bergamo side their first European trophy is set to have a significant knock-on effect for next season’s expanded tournament.
Italy and Germany had already been assured of a fifth place in the Champions League.
That means that Tottenham will play in the Europa League rather than joining the big boys.
But Atalanta’s win is set to give Italy SIX places in the Champions League if they stay in their current fifth spot in the Serie A table.
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Roma, who are guaranteed to finish sixth, have a higher five-year Uefa coefficient score than Barcelona, who will then drop into the second seeding block of nine clubs alongside the Gunners.
Under the new league-style competition rules, every team will play two clubs from each of the four seeding pots.
Clubs cannot meet sides from the same country in the initial phase, so Arsenal will not play top seeds Manchester City and Liverpool.
But the seeding pots are now directly determined by coefficients, compared to the previous system where the holders, Europa League winners and champions of the top six leagues were all in the top tier.
And that means Mikel Arteta’s side - and fourth seeds Aston Villa - could face horrific draws.
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In the worst case scenario, Arsenal might have to play Bayern Munich and PSG from Pot 1 alongside Barcelona and Juventus from Pot 2.
All teams will play eight matches in the initial phase - which will not be completed until January.
The top eight in the “final” league table automatically make the last 16.
The teams placed ninth to 24th will then play for the right to join them in a fully-seeded draw, with the bottom eight teams eliminated.
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So far, 22 of the 36 places for next term’s competitions are known, with an extra place for Germany - Eintracht Frankfurt - if Dortmund win the Champions League Final.
The final 10 slots will come through the play-off system which will finish at the end of August.
Spurs and either Chelsea or Manchester United - if the Old Trafford side win Saturday’s FA Cup Final - will face the same set-up in the Europa League, with the two English sides guaranteed to be top seeds.
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