Gunners and United are still elite

Arsenal and Manchester United have retained their place among the elite group of top seeds for next season’s Champions League despite a shake-up in UEFA’s seeding system – but both Chelsea and Liverpool will almost certainly have to settle for being one of the second seeds.

It means that Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson can plan for the group stage of the tournament, knowing they will avoid any of the four Spanish sides and reigning champions Porto.