Liverpool will soon find out their Champions League league phase opponents with the qualifying rounds nearly at an end
Liverpool's draw card for the Champions League draw
Liverpool's draw card for the Champions League draw(Image: Valerio Pennicino - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Liverpool will find out their Champions League league phase opponents in three weeks’ time, with this season’s draw scheduled to take place in Monaco on August 28. The Reds are already assured of their place in pot one, while 29 sides have already qualified for this season’s 36-team tournament.
With the qualifying rounds ongoing, seven more places remain up for grabs. And after the third qualifying round first legs took place this week, UEFA are edging closer finding out the full lists of teams who will compete in the latest edition of the continental competition.
In the league path, Rangers have one foot in the play-off round after winning their third qualifying round first leg 3-0 against Viktoria Plzen.
Should the Scottish giants indeed progress, Red Bull Salzburg or Club Brugge will stand between them and a place in the Champions League finals tournament. The Belgian outfit lead 1-0 on aggregate after the first leg as they look to book their own place in the final qualifying round.
The second league path play-off round tie will take place between Nice/Benfica and Feyenoord/Fenerbache. The Portuguese outfit currently lead 2-0 aggregate against their Ligue 1 counterparts, while Arne Slot’s former side boast a 2-1 advantage over Jose Mourinho’s men.
Meanwhile, the champions path will decide the final five places, with Celtic awaiting one of the third qualifying round victors.
Bodo/Glimt and Sturm Graz already know they will face each other in the play-off round, ensuring one of the two will join Liverpool in this season’s Champions League league phase draw.
Celtic are set to face the victors of Kairat and Slovan Bratislava from the third qualifying round, with the Kazakh side currently leading 1-0 on aggregate.
Basel are also already into the play-off round and will face either Malmo FF or Copenhagen, with the Scandinavian rivals drawing 0-0 in their third qualifying round first leg.
Red Star Belgrade won 3-1 in their first leg against Lech Poznan and have one foot in the play-off round as a result. They will face the winners of Dynamo Kyiv and Pafos, with the Cypriot side currently leading 1-0 on aggregate.
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Elsewhere, the final champions path play-off round tie will be contested between Ludogorets Razgrad/Ferencvaros and Shkendija/Qarabag.
The Hungarian outfit, managed by former Liverpool striker Robbie Keane who can call upon Naby Keita amongst their ranks, drew 0-0 with the Bulgarian side in their third qualifying round first leg.
Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani side lead 1-0 on aggregate against their Macedonian counterparts.
Liverpool will face eight different sides in this season’s Champions League league phase, the same as last year. They will be drawn against two sides from each pot, with four matches taking place at Anfield and four away from home.
Champions League league phase already-qualified sides
Pot 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Real Madrid
Man City
Bayern Munich
Liverpool
Inter Milan
Chelsea
Borussia Dortmund
Barcelona
Pot 2
Arsenal
Bayer Leverkusen
Atletico Madrid
Atalanta
Villarreal
Juventus
Eintracht Frankfurt
Pot 2 or 3
Tottenham Hotspur
PSV Eindhoven
Pot 3
Ajax
Napoli
Sporting CP
Olympiacos
Slavia Prague
Marseille
Pot 3 or 4
Monaco
Galatasaray
Pot 4
Union Saint-Gilloise
Athletic Bilbao
Newcastle United
Champions League play-off round
Champions path
Ludogorets Razgrad/Ferencvaros (0-0) vs Shkendija/Qarabag (0-1)
Lech Poznan/Red Star Belgrade (1-3) vs Dynamo Kyiv/Pafos (0-1)
Bodo/Glimt vs Sturm Graz
Celtic vs Kairat/Slovan Bratislava (1-0)
Basel vs Malmo FF/Copenhagen (0-0)
League path
Feyenoord/Fenerbahce (2-1) vs Nice/Benfica (0-2)
Rangers/Viktoria Plzen (3-0) vs Red Bull Salzburg/Club Brugge (0-1)