Liverpool will discover their Champions League league phase opponents on Thursday afternoon, with the draw taking place in Monaco at 5pm.
The Reds are one of 36 teams competing in this season’s revamped league phase, and after the final qualifying ties were completed on Wednesday night, Liverpool now know exactly which clubs they could be drawn against.
And there are some seriously exciting possibilities.
Liverpool are in Pot One
Liverpool have been placed in Pot One, alongside some of the biggest clubs in European football.
The other teams in Pot One are:
● Paris Saint-Germain
● Bayern Munich
● Real Madrid
● Inter Milan
● Barcelona
● Atletico Madrid
That means Liverpool cannot face any of those clubs during the league phase from their own pot.
However, they could still be handed two very difficult opponents from Pot Two, Pot Three and Pot Four.
Who could Liverpool face?
Liverpool will be drawn against eight different teams.
They will play four matches at Anfield and four away from home.
Two opponents will come from each pot, while UEFA’s rules mean Liverpool cannot face another English club during the league phase.
That rules out Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa.
But there are still some fascinating possibilities.
Pot Two
Liverpool could face:
● Borussia Dortmund
● Roma
● Sporting CP
● Porto
● Club Brugge
● Real Betis
● PSV Eindhoven
A trip to Dortmund or Porto would certainly provide a fantastic European occasion.
And Real Betis could also be an interesting opponent.
Pot Three
Things get even more interesting here.
Liverpool could be drawn against:
● Feyenoord
● Lille
● Bodo/Glimt
● Napoli
● RB Leipzig
● Villarreal
● Shakhtar Donetsk
● Galatasaray
● Fenerbahce
There are some very tricky teams in that group.
Napoli, Leipzig and Galatasaray would all provide serious tests, while a trip to Bodo/Glimt could present a completely different challenge.
Pot Four
Liverpool could then face two of:
● Viking
● Slovan Bratislava
● Slavia Prague
● VfB Stuttgart
● LASK
● AEK Athens
● Como
● Lens
● Sabah
On paper, these are the games Liverpool will probably be expected to win.
But there are no easy matches in the Champions League.
The reunion possibilities
The draw could also produce some emotional reunions.
If Liverpool are paired with Inter Milan, Curtis Jones could come up against his former club after completing his move to the Italian giants this summer.
There could also be reunions involving Luis Diaz if Liverpool draw Bayern Munich.
And then there’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Liverpool cannot host Real Madrid at Anfield during the league phase because of UEFA’s regulations, but they could travel to the Bernabeu if the two clubs are drawn together.
That would give Trent the opportunity to return to Merseyside as a Real Madrid player at some point later in the competition.
No more Real Madrid at Anfield
Interestingly, Liverpool will not be able to host Real Madrid in the league phase.
The Reds have already welcomed the Spanish giants to Anfield in each of the last two seasons, and UEFA regulations prevent the same pairing from being staged at the same venue for a third consecutive campaign in this phase.
But Liverpool could still be drawn away to Madrid.
And if that happens, it would be one of the most fascinating games of the entire league phase.
A different Champions League awaits Iraola
This will also be Andoni Iraola’s first experience of managing Liverpool in the Champions League.
That’s a huge opportunity.
Liverpool have a proud history in this competition and will be expected to compete for the trophy once again.
But the league phase is designed to provide more variety.
There are no traditional groups anymore.
Instead, every club plays eight different opponents before the knockout phase begins.
That means Liverpool could find themselves travelling across Europe and facing a completely different challenge every few weeks.
Could Liverpool get a nightmare draw?
Absolutely.
Imagine Liverpool drawing:
Bayern Munich
Borussia Dortmund
Napoli
Galatasaray
That would be an incredibly difficult league phase.
But Liverpool could also get a much kinder draw.
And perhaps that’s what makes Thursday so exciting.
We simply don’t know.
Liverpool should be aiming high
Whatever the draw produces, Liverpool should be targeting a place among the top eight.
Finishing in the top eight would mean automatically progressing to the knockout stages rather than having to negotiate a play-off round.
And with the quality Liverpool have in their squad, that’s a realistic target.
The challenge for Iraola will be managing the Champions League alongside the Premier League and domestic competitions.
That’s where squad depth becomes so important.
We’ve already seen concerns about Liverpool’s numbers in certain positions.
Eight Champions League matches, plus the Premier League and domestic cups, will put enormous demands on the squad.
The wait is almost over
Liverpool now know all 36 teams involved.
The qualifying rounds are finished.
The pots are confirmed.
And at 5pm today, the Reds will finally discover their Champions League opponents.
There are no easy games.
There are potentially some huge European nights.
There could be reunions with former Liverpool players.
And there could be some fascinating trips around Europe.
For Iraola and his players, this is where the real adventure begins.
Liverpool are back in the Champions League.
And by Thursday evening, we’ll know exactly who stands between the Reds and another attempt to conquer Europe.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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