As it happened: Liverpool to learn Champions League group stage opponents

Liverpool's name is going into the hat for the 2017/18 Champions League group stage and we'll be following the draw live in UEFA's annual complicated event.

The reds won 6-3 on aggregate against Hoffenheim and we've already had a look at the huge sums of money that LFC will be hoping to get their hands on - whilst us supporters aim for a 6th European Cup title.

There are 4 groups of teams in the Champions League seedings with the top group reserved for winners of the domestic leagues in the 8 top countries.

As a result, the likes of Barcelona and PSG, despite high European rankings in the previous 5 years start from pot 2 onwards.

Liverpool are in pot 3.  Teams from the same country cannot face each other in the group stage.

As it happened...

16:12 UK
Who could Liverpool face?

Liverpool are back in the Champions League this season, thanks to last season's 4th placed finish and the two legged win over Bundesliga's 4th best side Hoffenheim.

The draw begins shortly and these are the teams in the draw (remember that we cannot face another English side).

The graphic below shows the six British clubs in yellow - but we could be drawn against Brendan Rodgers' Celtic.

16:16 UK

Earlier today, thanks to computer power, we ran 1000 simulated UEFA draws and the most common group chosen for Liverpool was

Monaco
Barcelona
Liverpool
Sporting Lisbon

But that is just one of around 259 potential group line-ups that the reds could face.

16:23 UK
It might take some time...

The draw is being held in Monaco this evening, alongside the annual UEFA player awards which will see the best keeper, defender, midfielder and forward from last season awarded prizes.

The likes of Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo are in attendance at the event.

16:31 UK
Liverpool's last Champions League group - 2014/15 season

Liverpool came close to winning the Premier League title in 2013-14 - the season we last qualified for the Champions League.

But without Luis Suarez and in Brendan Rodgers first foray into the competition it didn't end well.  

The reds won just one game, a narrow 2-1 win over Ludogorets at home and crashed out with a mere 5 points out of a maximum 18.

16:45 UK
Past winners in the draw

The 32 teams in this years Champions League have amassed 40 European Cup titles between them.

Pot 1 is the strongest with 22 trophies won by 5 teams.

Pot 2 contains 4 teams who have won the European Cup 11 times combined.

Pot 3 has only one former winner, Liverpool, with 5 European Cups.

And Pot 4 has two former winners, Celtic and Feyenoord who won a trophy apiece in 1967 and 1970 respectively.

17:09 UK

Proceedings are under way and we are starting with Francesco Totti receiving the UEFA Presidents award in recognition of his "outstanding achievements, professional excellence and exemplary personal qualities"

He will be involved in assisting the draw later.

17:14 UK
Final in Kiev

This season's Champions League final will be held in Kiev, Ukraine and Andriy Shevchenko is acting as a UEFA ambassador for his country.

The NSC Olympic Stadium had a capacity of around 64,000 for games during Euro 2012.

 

17:24 UK
Pot 1 assigned to groups..

It's a slow start but the top seeds have been assigned their groups

Group A: Benfica

Group B: Bayern Munich

Group C: Chelsea

Group D: Juventus

Group E: Spartak Moscow

Group F: Shakhtar Donetsk

Group G: AS Monaco

Group H: Real Madrid

17:29 UK
Pot 2 is being drawn now...

Monaco and Porto in Group G... might not be too bad for someone.

Atletico Madrid go in with Chelsea in Group C.  Liverpool can't get that group.

17:32 UK
Easier draw for the Manchester clubs.

Man Utd get one of the easier options.

They are in Group A with Benfica, Portugese champions.

Paris St Germain join Bayern Munich in Group B - already a tough looking group.

Man City join Shahktar Donetsk in Group F.

17:36 UK
Half way through the draw

Groups

A: Benfica, Man Utd
B: Bayern Munich, PSG
C: Chelsea, Atlético Madrid
H: Real Madrid, Dortmund
E: Spartak Moscow, Sevilla
F: Shakhtar Donetsk, Man City
G: Monaco, FC Porto
D: Juventus, Barcelona

17:40 UK
Group E for Liverpool

The reds will face Spartak Moscow and Sevilla.

17:43 UK
Three quarters of the way through

A: Benfica, Man Utd, Basel
B: Bayern Munich, PSG, Anderlecht
C: Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, Roma
D: Juventus, Barcelona, Olympiakos
E: Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, Liverpool
F: Shakhtar Donetsk, Man City, Napoli
G: Monaco, FC Porto, Besiktas
H: Real Madrid, Dortmund, Spurs

17:51 UK
Full Champions League draw

A: Benfica, Man Utd, Basel, CSKA Moscow
B: Bayern Munich, PSG, Anderlecht, Celtic
C: Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, Roma, Qarabag
D: Juventus, Barcelona, Olympiakos, Sporting Lisbon
E: Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, Liverpool, Maribor
F: Shakhtar Donetsk, Man City, Napoli, Feyenoord
G: Monaco, FC Porto, Besiktas, RB Leipzig
H: Real Madrid, Dortmund, Spurs, Apoel

17:57 UK

18:13 UK

That concludes our live coverage of the draw.

Match dates to be confirmed shortly.



One comment on
As it happened: Liverpool to learn Champions League group stage opponents

  1. Would happily take Barcelona – could do without us getting Celtic as the media will bang on about Brendan Rodgers and Klopp for months on end!

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