Liverpool have discovered which eight teams they will face in the Champions League first stage this season
The draw card of Liverpool on display before the UEFA Champions League draw
The draw card of Liverpool on display before the UEFA Champions League draw(Image: Kristian Skeie - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
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Liverpool will have a reunion with Curtis Jones and Inter Milan after discovering their opponents for the first stage of this season's Champions League.
And the Reds face a rematch with Atletico Madrid at Anfield with Reds boss Andoni Iraola handed an intriguing first experience managing in Europe after the draw was made in Monaco on Thursday evening.
In the 36-team league stage, Liverpool will face four different teams at home and another four away.
The standout fixture sees the Reds travel to the San Siro to take on Inter for the second successive season after winning there 1-0 last year, although the occasion will have extra spice with Jones having moved to the Serie A champions earlier this month in a move that could earn Liverpool up to £30million.
Liverpool will also go to Club Brugge for the first time since the 1976 UEFA Cup final, along with a first-ever clash against Fenerbahce in Istanbul and a trip to LASK Linz, who produced a remarkable comeback to beat Celtic in the play-offs and who the Reds beat in the Europa League in 2023.
As well as facing Atletico at home once again - a fixture the Reds won 3-2 last season - Iraola's side also entertain Villarreal - who they beat in the semi-finals of the Champions League and Europa League under Jurgen Klopp - French side Lens and regular European opponents Porto, who were last at Anfield in 2021.
Liverpool will hope to improve on their Champions League showings of the last two seasons, having reached the round of 16 in 2024/25 and the quarter-finals last year when they were eliminated both times by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
The dates for the fixtures will be confirmed on Saturday at the latest to ensure no calendar clashes with teams in the Europa League and Europa Conference League playing in the same cities.
The top eight teams in the 36-strong league table automatically qualify for the Champions League knockout stages with the next 16 facing a two-legged play-off to proceed, with games dependent on league position - ninth v 24th, 10th v 23rd and so on.
The competition then continues as normal from the last 16 onwards as a knockout. The bottom 12 teams in the league are eliminated from European qualification altogether.
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