Now it has to be decided who will be the last six teams
Liverpool are seen in pot 2 of this year’s group stage in the Champions League. Only Bayern Munich (138,000) is higher on UEFA’s coefficient ranking than Liverpool (134,000) – where UEFA looks at the performances after the last five seasons in their tournaments.
However, it has little significance for Liverpool when the Champions League group stage is drawn, following a reshuffle in 2015. After the reshuffle, it is the reigning Champions League champion, the reigning Europa League champion and the winner from the six top-ranked leagues in Europe as goes in as the first seed. If the winner of the European Cups also wins the domestic league, the seventh and possibly other places go to the next winner of the highest ranked league.
It happens this year, with Real Madrid as both La Liga winners and reigning Champions League champions. With that, Ajax is the first seed, and the Dutch Eresdivise took the last place. Since it was just almost for Liverpool in Europe and the league last season, they are placed in pot 2.
These are the layers that are clear
The draw will take place on Thursday 25 August in Istanbul – which is also hosting the final for the first time since 2005. It will take place from 18.00.
As of today, 26 clubs are ready. These are the clubs:
Pot 1
Real Madrid
Frankfurt
Manchester City
AC Milan
Bayern Munich
Paris Saint-Germain
FC Porto
Ajax
Potty 2
Liverpool
Chelsea
Barcelona
Juventus
Atletico Madrid
Seville
RB Leipzig
Tottenham
Pot 3
Borussia Dortmund
Red Bull Salzburg
Shakhtar Donetsk
Inter Milan
Naples
Sporting CP
Bayer Leverkusen
Potty 4
Club Brugge
Celtic
Liverpool cannot draw other teams from pot 2, but meets and teams from each of the other three seeding levels. It is not possible to face other English opposition until the quarter-finals at the earliest.
Bodø/Glimt has the option
On Tuesday, the third round of the Champions League qualification was completed, and then Bodø/Glimt advanced after beating Zalgiris Vilnius 6-1 on aggregate. Glimt faces tougher opposition in the playoffs when they face Croatian Dinamo Zagreb. The Norwegian team starts with a home game next Tuesday.
The last time Norwegian football had a team in the Champions League was in the 2007/08 season, when Rosenborg was there.
Takumi Minamino and Monaco went out in the third round when PSV Eindhoven were too strong in extra time. PSV will face Rangers in the playoff.
These are the teams that meet for the last six places:
Rangers – PSV Eindhoven
Dynamo Kyiv – Benfica
FK Bodø/Glimt – Dinamo Zagreb
Maccabi Haifa – Red Star Belgrade
FK Qarabag – Viktoria Plzen
FC Copenhagen – Trabzonspor
The first settlement is next week – with a return the following week. Then the draw is the day after the last playoff games have been played.
What is new this year is that the group stage must be played much earlier. It is usually spilled after its group stage match in the first or second week of December. This year the matches will be much closer, with the last group stage match on 1 and 2 November.
1st group stage match: 6/7. September.
2nd group stage match: 13/14. September.
3rd group stage match: 4/5. October.
4th group stage match: 11/12. October.
5th group stage match: 25/26. October.
6th group stage match: 1/2. November.