The cream of the European crop will soon return to the fray as the countdown to the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League kick-off begins with Thursday's group-stage draw in Monaco, France.This season's lineup is close to completion as the last of the play-off qualifiers look to book their places in the pool phase on Wednesday before the continental elite find out who they'll play in the first round.Defending champions Real Madrid will go in search of a third Champions League crown in just four years this term, and a pleasing group draw can often provide the first step to a successful season.The official Champions League Twitter account provided a look at what time you can catch the draw regardless of where you are in the world:In among the usual contingent of Champions League regulars, we'll also see Premier League champions Leicester City try their hand among Europe's best and brightest, while Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool all miss out.We provide all the necessary viewing information to make sure you don't miss a moment of Thursday's group-stage draw, complete with live-stream and television information, along with a preview for the draw.Date:Thursday,August 25Time:5 p.m. BST/12 p.m. ETLive Stream:Official UEFA website, Fox Soccer 2GO (U.S.)TV Info:BT Sport Europe (UK), Fox Sports 1 (U.S.)Leicester City's European ReturnIt's been a substantial 16 years since Leicester were last involved in European competition, and even then, this season's breakthrough represents the club's first foray into the Champions League.Manager Claudio Ranieri has extensive experience in Europe's premier tournament from his days with Chelsea, Valencia, Inter Milan and Juventus, but he's still expecting a tough comeback, per BBC Leicester Sport:Match of the Dayhost Gary Lineker also mused upon the hefty list of heavyweights among which the Foxes will find themselves this season, a far cry from their days in the Championship as recently as two-and-a-half years ago:Having won the Premier League in historic fashion last season, Leicester line up in Pot 1 for Thursday's draw, meaning they'll at least avoid seven of Europe's biggest bruisers straight off the bat.That being said, any of the other 24 teams will still present a challenge, and this term will test whether the midlands outfit are ready to continue their fairytaleor prove it was nothing more than a moment of magic.European Contenders On the RiseThis season's Champions League will also see a number of sides attempt to expand their European horizons after several years of settling for lower expectations in the continental contest.One such team hoping to move on to bigger and better things is Paris Saint-Germain, now under Unai Emery's command, and the former Sevilla coach told French dailyL'Equipe what he's seeking this season (h/t Calciomercato.com):Im here to grow and grow this club. Before I signed I asked the President why he wanted me and his answer was, for the work you have done and for winning the Europa League three years in succession. I want you for your passion, your dreams. PSG is a good team but I want more.I came to enhance the club but it will be difficult and for me it represents a great challenge. I know only one way to work and I want this group to support me in this way. Even we are missing a player, we can compensate by fighting together. PSG has a chance to grow and expand and we have the opportunity to leave our mark both in France and in Europe.Emery arrived at Parc des Princes as a replacement for Laurent Blanc, and after winning three consecutive UEFA Europa League crowns, PSG's hierarchy hope he's got the European nous to replicate the feat at a higher level.Likewise, Manchester City have appointed Pep Guardiola in the hopes he can take them to the next level in Europe, and their first-leg 5-0 mauling of Steaua Bucharest in the play-off round suggested form is picking up:The Citizens face Steaua in the second leg of their play-off decider on Wednesday evening, but a five-goal lead suggests they're already well on their way into the competition properly, as evidenced by the odds, via SmartBets.The likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Napoli, Sevilla and CSKA Moscow will also be hoping to build on recent successes by challenging for Champions League silverware, although the giants of the contest will be hard to dethrone.
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