As the draw took place today it has been confirmed that the Reds will face last year’s Champions League winners Real Madrid, Bundesliga winners Bayer Leverkusen, French outfit Lille and Bologna at home.
Meanwhile, Arne Slot’s men will travel to RB Leipzig, AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven and first-time participants Girona.
-
How does the new format work?
The new format in question sees a 36-team league competition put into place, which ultimately sees the four-team group stage end.
For the draw, each team was seeded into four pots based on their standing within the UEFA club’s coefficient, with six-time winners Liverpool situated in pot one.
The eight games for each side were chosen by pulling two opponents from each of the four pots, one of whom will play at home and the other away.
In the league phase, as previously instilled, the Reds were not able to play anyone from the Premier League until the knockout stages draw takes place.
Although the draw has already commenced, the dates and kick-off times for the league stage fixtures are due to be announced by UEFA on the 31st of August.
At the end of the eight-game league stage, the top eight teams in the table will go through to the last 16, meanwhile, the clubs that finish from ninth to 24th will enter a play-off round, from which the eight winners will also be eligible to compete in the last 16.
-
How do the Reds fare against their chosen opponents?
Real Madrid
The Reds are set to welcome Los Blancos to Anfield, with hopes of getting one over on Carlo Ancelotti’s men.
The two sides have met on 11 different occasions in the European Cup/Champions League, with Liverpool on the first ever occasion coming away 1-0 winners in the final thanks to a goal from Alan Kennedy, handing the Reds their third European Cup.
Since then, the two sides have come head-to-head ten times, with the Spanish giants coming away victorious on seven different occasions, meanwhile, Liverpool has managed to beat them twice since the famous 1981 European Cup final.
The one draw came in the second leg of the 2021 quarter-final at Anfield, subsequently seeing the Reds bow out of the competition on aggregate regardless of the result.
Although the Reds have been a formidable force throughout the history of the Champions League, Real Madrid seem to be their bogey team in recent times — having beaten Klopp's side on numerous occasions including two finals in the 2017/18 campaign and most recently in the 2021/22 season.
With Slot now in charge, he and the fans alike will be hoping to make the most of their home advantage if they hope to cause Los Blancos any problems.
RB Leipzig
Liverpool have only faced RB Leipzig on two occasions prior, with the Reds winning 2-0 on both occasions over a two-game tie in the 2021 Champions League quarterfinals.
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring in the 53rd minute later followed by Sadio Mane in the 58th minute in the first leg as the Reds cruised to victory at the Puskas Arena.
In the second leg, the game unfolded similar fashion as Liverpool once again came away 2-0 victors with Salah opening the scoring in the 70th minute whilst Mane, four minutes later added his name to the scoresheet.
PSV Eindhoven
The Reds have faced Eredivisie holders PSV Eindhoven on six different occasions, but that will soon be seven as the two sides prepare to lock horns again.
Although the two sides have met previously, the last time the two played each other in the Champions League was in 2008, which saw the Reds do the double over them in their group-stage fixtures.
The pair, as mentioned before, have met on six different occasions with Reds coming away victorious on five occasions and drawing one of them, but - with PSV showing vast improvements in recent times - they will welcome Slot’s men to the Philips Stadion hoping to etch their first win against the Reds.
Bayer Leverkusen
The match-up that everyone was praying to see in the latter stages of last year’s Europa League has come to fruition but in the Champions League as an alternative.
The Reds will welcome former player now turned manager Xabi Alonso back to Anfield in a game that is destined to take the eye.
The two sides have faced each other on four occasions in the Champions League, twice in the 2001/02 quarterfinals and twice in the 2004/05 round of 16.
Over the four games, Liverpool has been on the winning end of the scoreline on three occasions whilst the Eternal Bridesmaids have won once.
Although that may come across that the Reds have been the better team over the four games, Leverkusen did win the second leg of the quarter-final tie 4-2 after the first leg ended 1-0 in Liverpool’s favour, ultimately seeing the Merseyside outfit bow out of the competition to their opponents that year.
AC Milan
The Reds are due to face Italian giants AC Milan at the San Siro at some point during the League stage of the tournament.
The seven-time Champions League winners AC Milan are due to welcome the six-time winners in a game that has an abundance of historical importance for not only the two clubs but the tournament itself.
The two have faced on four different occasions with the Reds winning two, AC Milan winning one and technically one draw.
Some of you may be asking when the Reds drew with AC Milan and to answer that question they technically didn’t. The 2004/05 final saw Liverpool go 3-0 down before the whistle for halftime even had a chance to sound.
Against all odds though the Reds fought back with 3 second-half goals sending the game into extra time and then penalties. Thanks to Jerzy Dudek’s heroics in the shootout, the prestigious trophy made its way back to Anfield.
Rosseneri did manage to right their wrongs in the 2006/07 Champions League final though, as the Italian outfit managed to outfox the Merseysiders with a 2-1 victory in Athens ultimately getting their revenge on the Reds.
Lille
The two sides have come head to head on two occasions previously, although this game did not take part in the Champions League. Instead, the two teams played each other in the Round of 16 of the Europa League.
The year was 2010 and the Reds were welcomed to the Stadium Lille Métropole but were sent packing 1-0. Advantage Lille.
The return leg though was a different story, as the Reds dismantled the French side with Steven Gerrard opening the scoring in the ninth minute, putting the tie back on level terms before Fernando Torres scored two in the second half to help Liverpool book a place in the quarter-finals.
Bologna and Girona
For the first time since the 1964/65 season, i Ressoblu has qualified for this year’s competition after Thiago Motta managed to achieve the unthinkable by pushing the club to a top-five finish in the Serie A last season.
Their first season back in the competition will see them take a trip to Merseyside to face Slot’s men for the first time in the club’s history.
It has to be said though, that the Reds will come into the game as favourites but Bologna, as shown last year, have the capabilities to flip the script and achieve the unthinkable.
As for Girona, this is the first Champions League tournament in the club’s history. The Blanquivermells managed to secure their entry into the competition after coming third in the La Liga table.
As Liverpool and Girona are yet to come head to head, the two sides are set to face each other for the first time with the Reds making the trip to the Montilivi Stadium.
With the Reds set for their first European campaign under Slot, they will hope that they can start strong, especially with some tough opposition in their standing.
