Express Sport predicts Manchester United's Champions League league phase draw with some tough tests against Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund.
Liverpool FC v Paris Saint-Germain FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Quarter-Final Second Leg
Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals last season (Image: Getty)
Andoni Iraola will manage in Europe for the first time as Liverpool FC return to the Champions League once again dreaming of glory. The Reds' dreams of a seventh European Cup were ended by PSG in both of the last two seasons, as the French heavyweights went on to win the tournament back-to-back. Iraola will be eager to make a strong first impression on the UEFA tournament, given the Merseyside club's pedigree.
That pedigree means Liverpool are in Pot 1 and Express Sport have predicted how their draw will pan out. You can see the Reds' fate below...
A glamorous match in Liverpool's first Champions League game since April. The Reds have not faced Dortmund since an iconic 4-3 victory knocked the Germans out of the Europa League under Jurgen Klopp in 2016. Though Bayern Munich continue to dominate the Bundesliga, Dortmund boast some top-quality players and this match could see Emre Can return to Anfield, though the captain is still recovering from an ACL injury.
Another club with plenty of European pedigree, Liverpool beat Roma in the final to win this competition in 1984. And they defeated the Italians 7-6 on aggregate in the 2018 semi-finals to reach their first final under Klopp. The two sides have not met since and a trip to the Stadio Olimpico would be a mouthwatering prospect for Iraola's first European away. Roma finished third in Serie A last season and have the likes of Manu Kone, Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala in their squad.
The big surprise of last season's Champions League, Bodo/Glimt drew with Tottenham and beat Manchester City at home. They also beat Atletico Madrid away and Inter Milan home and away en route to the round of 16. They thrashed Sporting 3-0 at home before succumbing to a 5-0 away defeat. This would represent a nightmare away trip given it is an artificial turf pitch at a stadium situated above the Arctic Circle. In our predicted draw, this match would come on October 20-21, when the average temperature is as low as three degrees, and it can be particularly windy. Banana skin territory for sure.
A team who it feels Liverpool run into regularly. The Reds defeated Atletico 3-2 at Anfield last season under Arne Slot, and have beaten the Spaniards in each of their last three meetings since that infamous 3-2 extra-time defeat to Diego Simeone's men in the round of 16 six years ago. Atleti are notoriously difficult to face and have a host of match winners, namely the Arsenal and Barcelona-linked Julian Alvarez. This would be a clash of styles and a tricky test for Iraola.
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Elche v FC Barcelona - LaLiga EA Sports
Barcelona would be intimidating opposition for Liverpool (Image: Getty)
Having pulled off an extraordinary comeback against Celtic in the qualifiers, Austrian outfit LASK would not be an easy opponent. From 4-0 down on aggregate, LASK won their second leg 5-1. Liverpool actually faced LASK in the Europa League groups under Klopp in 2023, winning 4-0 at home. This would be one Iraola's men need to win in order to finish in the top eight and qualify automatically for the round of 16.
A club Liverpool have not faced since 1972, and who they have never played in the Champions League before. AEK Athens would represent another lengthy away trip after they hammered Levski Sofia to qualify for the league phase. The Greeks would undoubtedly greet Liverpool with a ferocious atmosphere and have Domagoj Vida, the former Croatia centre-back partner of Dejan Lovren, in their squad as well as ex-Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic. This is another that could be a banana skin.
Despite facing Galatasaray and Besiktas on numerous occasions, Liverpool have never taken on Fenerbahce - another team based in Istanbul. The Turkish Super Lig giants knocked out Lyon to qualify and only finished three points behind bitter rivals Galatasaray in the title race last season. Since then, they have invested heavily in their squad, signing Mason Greenwood, Nathan Ake and Romelu Lukaku this summer. Matteo Guendouzi and Ederson are two of the other familiar names in their squad, which has enough quality to pull off an Anfield upset.
The trickiest match of them all comes last in our predicted draw. Liverpool have not played Barcelona since that unforgettable 4-0 comeback win at Anfield in 2019. Barca are five-time European Cup winners and boast several extraordinary players like Rodri, Lamine Yamal and Pedri. This match would also see Anthony Gordon go up against the team he supported as a boy. While Liverpool lost 3-0 on their last trip to the Nou Camp, in a match where the scoreline was not reflective of the 90 minutes, Liverpool have not lost any of their other four visits to Barca's home ground, winning two and drawing two. There's no hiding that this would be an almighty challenge though, unless Barca already have a top-eight spot secured.