Tournament debutants Leicester will discover their group-stage rivals when the draw for the Champions League is made on Thursday evening.
Monaco will host the draw, its glitz and glamour offering a stark backdrop to the Foxes' unlikely ascent into Europe's elite after they had only seven years ago being playing in the third tier.
Then Leicester were playing against the likes of Hereford United and Stockport County - clubs that have since suffered financial turmoil - but on Thursday Claudio Ranieri's champions will mix with, and be seeded alongside, heavyweights Barcelona, Bayern Munich and defending champions Real Madrid in Pot 1.
Leicester are therefore well placed to initially avoid the cream of Europe, as the latest reward of their stunning Premier League success.
Manchester City and Arsenal are seeded below in Pot 2, making them susceptible to drawing one of the competition's powerhouses, while Tottenham and Celtic are even more precariously placed in Pot 3 and 4 respectively.
Most eyes will, however, be on Leicester when the first balls are drawn after the 5pm start time on Thursday.
The Foxes' last venture into Europe was 16 years ago, when they were first-round losers to Red Star Belgrade in the UEFA Cup, but their return will at the very least last six matches as Ranieri attempts to match ambitions in the Champions League with a domestic title defence.
There are potential pitfalls awaiting them in the draw, most significantly in Pot 2 where last year's finalists Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Europa League winners Sevilla lurk, while they could also face a 'Battle of Britain' against Celtic.
A worst-case scenario would see Leicester draw Atletico, Basle and Celtic - the club's with the highest UEFA co-efficient in their pots - while at best they could draw CSKA Moscow, Borussia Monchengladbach and Rostov.
England's other three participants in the tournament could all be drawn against the club that sent them out of Europe last season.
Manchester City confirmed their place in the hat on Wednesday night following a 6-0 aggregate win over Steaua Bucharest, but could immediately bump into Real Madrid, who knocked them out at the semi-final stage last season.
New boss Pep Guardiola also faces the prospect of return trips to former clubs Barcelona or Bayern Munich.
Arsenal face the prospect of another date with Barcelona, who sent them out in the last-16 last season, the sixth successive campaign the north Londoners had gone out at that stage.
The Gunners have, however, progressed out of the initial group stage for the past 16 years and will be favoured to get out of the group no matter who they draw.
Tottenham return to Europe's premier club competition knowing their hopes of progressing could lean heavily on the draw with the prospect of being pooled with one of the Spanish giants and Dortmund - who dumped them out of the Europa League 5-1 on aggregate in last season's round-of-16 stage.
Celtic nervously booked their place in the draw with a 5-4 aggregate win over Hapoel Be'er Sheva after negotiating a qualification campaign that started with an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to part-timers Lincoln Red Imps in Gibraltar.
Boss Brendan Rodgers nonetheless secured a precious return to the group stage, and the huge financial implications that come with it, with the rewards of the big boys of the continent - or a mouth-watering tie against an English club - to re-enliven Celtic Park with a European night the Hoops fans crave.
Source: PA
