Chelsea in Champions League boost
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Chelsea have finally been named among the Champions League's top seeds, alongside Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United.
The Blues had previously not amassed enough 'coefficient' points to be among the top eight sides in the competition.
Liverpool are the highest ranked English club followed by Arsenal, with United and Chelsea on equal points.
Each English side will avoid fellow top seeds AC Milan, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid in the group stages.
England is the only country to have all of its representatives seeded.
Italy's AC Milan, who lifted the trophy last season after beating Liverpool 2-1 in the final in Athens, are the highest ranked team for next season.
Barcelona, winners in 2006, are the second highest seeds and 2005 winners Liverpool are ranked third.
Jose Mourinho's Chelsea will be delighted to be included among the top eight teams after having to negotiate very difficult groups in recent years - including being drawn with Barcelona twice in the last three years.
That was something the Blues boss found difficult to accept, complaining: "For three years we had the European Champions in our group.
"The first season we had Porto, the second Liverpool and the third Barcelona."
As the Stamford Bridge side had only qualified for the tournament once - in 1999 - before 2003, their ranking - which is based upon a team's results over five years, as well as the ranking of their national association - had kept them out of the elite group.
Mourinho moaned: "Being a second seed, you always have a very strong opponent. So when you say, 'What do we have to do to win it?', I think Chelsea need to be first seeds."
The draw for the Champions League qualifying rounds will take place on 29 June. -
if they didnt have this system, then we could see all 4 english team in the same grp
