Arsenal and United avoid Spanish Armada

ARSENAL and Manchester United will avoid Spanish opposition in today’s draw for the Champions League group stage after retaining their place among the elite group of top seeds.

The Gunners and the Red Devils remain among the eight top-ranked sides despite a shake-up in UEFA’s seeding system but both Chelsea and Liverpool are among the second seeds.

Current European champions Porto, four Spanish sides and Bayern Munich make up the other top seeds on the Continent for tomorrow’s draw in Monaco.