Liverpool have good reason to be confident after avoiding a number of extremely tough groups in Thursday’s Champions League draw in Monaco.
Jurgen Klopp’s men learned who they will be facing in the group stages of Europe’s elite club competition after cruising through the second leg of their playoff clash with a 4-2 win, 6-3 on aggregate, over Hoffenheim.
The Reds, who were in pot three, were drawn in Group E against Sevilla, Spartak Moscow and NK Maribor- all teams Liverpool will feel they will be equipped to overcome.
A clash with Sevilla represents the standout fixture after the Spanish side ended Liverpool’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League in the 2015/2016 season by beating the Reds in the Europa League final.
Revenge will be on the cards as the club looks to test itself against Europe’s top sides once again having not featured in the tournament for three years.
Russian champions Spartak and Slovenian champions Maribor pose as potentially tricky opponents away from home, but teams Klopp’s side will be expected to fare well against at Anfield.
As for the other English teams involved, Manchester United got off fairly lightly in Group A, being drawn against Benfica, Basel and CSKA Moscow.
Chelsea find themselves in a tough Group C with Atletico Madrid, Roma and Qarabag, whilst Manchester City are in Group F with Shakhtar Donetsk, Napoli and Feyenoord.
Tottenham are in an extremely difficult Group H with 2016/2017 champions Real Madrid, Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund and Cypriot side APOEL.
The first games will be played during the week commencing September 11.
Here’s a full run down of the draw:
Group A: Benfica, Man United, Basel, CSKA Moscow
Group B: Bayern Munich, PSG, Anderlecht, Celtic
Group C: Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Roma, Qarabag
Group D: Juventus, Barcelona, Olympiakos, Sporting CP
Group E: Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, Liverpool, Maribor
Group F: Shakhtar Donetsk, Man City, Napoli, Feyenoord
Group G: Monaco, Porto, Besiktas, RB Leipzig
Group H: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham, APOEL
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