Liverpool is in pot one for the Champions League draw in Monaco on Thursday, with the Reds now knowing all potential opponents in the league phase after the final qualifiers were completed on Wednesday
Liverpool will learn its opponents
Liverpool will learn its opponents(Image: Kristian Skeie - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Liverpool now knows its potential opponents in the Champions League league phase after the qualifying play-off round wrapped up on Wednesday.
AEK Athens, Slovan Bratislava, Fenerbahce and Viking all progressed through their final qualifying ties to complete the 36-team field for this season's competition.
The league phase draw will be held in Monaco on Thursday, with Liverpool among 29 sides who had already secured their spots having qualified automatically at the conclusion of last season.
Sabah, Bodo/Glimt and LASK joined them on Tuesday evening after eliminating Hapoel Be'er Sheva, NEC and Celtic respectively in a goal-filled night of qualification. Sabah advanced 6-4 on aggregate following a 5-2 victory on the night, while Bodo/Glimt's 3-0 win secured a 6-1 aggregate triumph.
In a dramatic turn of events, Celtic squandered a 4-0 aggregate advantage, falling 5-1 to LASK after extra time, and 5-4 on aggregate, to miss out on a place in this season's league phase, reports the Liverpool Echo.
That left four remaining spots to be decided on Wednesday evening, with all four ties level on aggregate heading into the second legs.
Following a goalless first leg in Sofia, AEK Athens romped through with a commanding 4-0 victory over Levski Sofia in the return fixture in Athens. Slovan Bratislava secured their place in the final 36 with a 2-1 win at Celje, building on a 1-1 first-leg draw, while Fenerbahce claimed a 2-1 victory at Lyon after an identical 1-1 draw in the opening leg.
Andoni Iraola after Newcastle 2-2 Liverpool.
Andoni Iraola after Newcastle 2-2 Liverpool.(Image: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Viking secured their place in the 36-team competition following a 3-1 home victory over Dinamo Zagreb, having drawn 2-2 in the opening leg.
Following Bodo/Glimt's success on Tuesday evening, the composition of each of the four pots had already been established prior to the final qualifying matches, with the victors from the Lyon versus Fenerbahce tie completing pot three, and the remaining qualifiers entering pot four.
With qualification now concluded, Liverpool are now aware of their potential opponents in this season's Champions League league phase.
Who Liverpool can face in the Champions League league phase.
Pot One.
Paris St-Germain (France), Bayern Munich (Germany), Real Madrid (Spain), Internazionale (Italy), Barcelona (Spain), Atletico Madrid (Spain).
Pot Two.
Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Roma (Italy), Sporting (Portugal), Porto (Portugal), Club Brugge (Belgium), Real Betis (Spain), PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands).
Pot Three.
Feyenoord (Netherlands), Lille (France), Bodo/Glimt (Norway), Napoli (Italy), RB Leipzig (Germany), Villarreal (Spain), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), Galatasaray (Turkey), Fenerbahce (Turkey).
Pot Four.
Viking (Norway), Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia), Slavia Prague (Czech Republic), VfB Stuttgart (Germany), LASK (Austria), AEK Athens (Greece), Como (Italy), Lens (France), Sabah (Azerbaijan)
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As with the previous two campaigns, each club will face eight different opponents once, comprising four home fixtures and four away fixtures. They will meet two sides from each of the four pots, though cannot be drawn against a team from their own nation.
Manchester City and Arsenal are also among the pot one sides, alongside Liverpool, while Aston Villa and Manchester United find themselves in pot two.
While Andoni Iraola's side cannot be pitted against their domestic rivals during the league phase, they remain eligible to face Premier League opposition once the knockout rounds begin.
Meanwhile, the Reds are also prohibited from hosting Real Madrid at Anfield, having welcomed the La Liga giants to Merseyside in each of the past two seasons under UEFA regulations. The two sides could, however, meet at the Bernabeu should they be drawn together, setting up a fascinating reunion for both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konate against their former club.
Elsewhere, the prospect of further reunion ties looms large, with the likes of Luis Diaz and Curtis Jones potentially coming up against former club sides should the Reds be drawn against either Bayern Munich or Internazionale.