A close up view of the Champions League trophy.placeholder image
A close up view of the Champions League trophy. | Getty Images
Everything you need to know ahead of the Champions League league stage draw.
Liverpool are waiting to discover their first opponents of this season’s Champions League ahead of the draw for the new and improved league phase.
This season will be the second year of the new format, which has replaced the former group stage of the tournament. Instead of being drawn into eight groups of four, clubs now compete in one big league-style table and will play eight fixtures to decide who is heading into the knockouts.
All confirmed teams are now in the hat following the final day of qualifying fixtures. This week was jam-packed full of action and included catastrophic outcomes for Scottish football.
Celtic were denied their place in the draw after two goalless legs against underdogs Kairat Almaty saw them lose on penalties, sending the Kazakh side to the Champions League proper for the first time in their history. Rangers are also out after a humiliating 9-1 aggregate defeat to Club Brugge.
Liverpool will be desperate to improve on last season’s run, which ended in the round of 16 after a penalty shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming Champions League draw, as well as a quick refresher on how the new league phase works.
When and where is the Champions League draw?
The Champions League draw for the league stage will be held tonight, August 28th, in Monaco and will get underway at 5pm BST.
Which pot are Liverpool in for the Champions League draw?
Liverpool have been placed in Pot 1 based on their current coefficient, which puts them fifth in UEFA’s rankings. Here are the pots in full:
Pot 1: PSG, Real Madrid, Man City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Inter, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona
Pot 2: Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt, Club Brugge
Pot 3: Tottenham, PSV, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Praha, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille
Pot 4: Copenhagen, Monaco, Galatasaray, Union SG, Qarabag, Athletic Club, Newcastle, Pafos, Kairat Almaty
How does the league stage work?
Liverpool will play eight fixtures in the league stage of the Champions League, with the aim to finish as high up the table as possible. A total of 36 teams will compete in the opening phase, playing four home games and four away.
Teams who finish in the top eight will automatically progress into the round of 16, as the Reds did last season when they topped the table. Those who finish ninth through to 24th will enter a two-legged playoff round to determine the final eight teams through to the knockouts. Clubs in 25th and below are automatically eliminated.
Who could Liverpool be drawn against?
New Champions League rules mean clubs from the same country cannot face each other in the league stage. Teams can also only play a maximum of two opponents from another country.
The draw will see clubs play two opponents from each of the four pots. Taking the English clubs out of the equation, here are the teams Liverpool could be drawn against:
Pot 1: PSG, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona
Pot 2: Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt, Club Brugge
Pot 3: PSV, Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Praha, Bodo/Glimt, Marseille
Pot 4: Copenhagen, Monaco, Galatasaray, Union SG, Qarabag, Athletic Club, Pafos, Kairat Almaty
How can I watch the Champions League draw?
The Champions League draw will be televised live this evening on TNT Sports 1. If you do not have a TNT Sports subscription, both the broadcaster and UEFA will be showing the draw on their respective YouTube channels for free.
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