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Liverpool have been confirmed in Pool 1 for the new phase of the Champions League, meaning they will avoid six other high-profile opponents.
Next season’s Champions League will be the first since expanding to a new 36-team competition, which follows a ‘Swiss model’ league format that replaces the group stage.
That means more games – including eight “group” games against different opponents – before you separate for the traditional knockout stage.
Liverpool won’t find out their opponents for the league stage until the draw on August 29, but they now know who they’ve joined in Pool 1.
Alongside Liverpool in Pot 1 are:
- Man City
- Bayern Munich
- Real Madrid
- Paris Saint Germain
- Inter Milan
- Borussia Dortmund
- RB Leipzig
- Barcelona
Despite the new format, clubs are still divided into four pots, with each club facing two teams from each pot – one home, one away – in the league stage.
Although traditionally clubs from the same pot would not be drawn against each other, in the new format this is not the case.
However, Liverpool know they will face just two of their fellow Pot 1 teams, meaning they will avoid six high-profile games – at least during the league stage.
Generally, clubs from the same association will not be drawn against each other in the league stage, but exceptions will be made for those with four or more clubs participating to avoid a tie in matches.
That means Liverpool could face Man City in the league stage, although they know they can only face two of the aforementioned teams.
As it stands now, the Champions League stages are:
Pot 2: Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Arsenal, Club Brugge
Pot 3: Feyenoord, Sporting CP, PSV Eindhoven
Pot 4: Sturm Graz, Brest
(Pot 2 or 3): Shakhtar Donetsk/Eintracht Frankfurt, Milan
(Pot 3 or 4): Celtic, Monaco, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, Stuttgart
Seven more clubs will join the league stage through the qualifiers, and Shakhtar Donetsk, Red Star Belgrade, Young Boys and Galatasaray are the only teams currently confirmed for the playoffs.
There is a possibility that Liverpool will face the ‘phase of death’, then, with future clashes with current finalists Real Madrid and Dortmund, Europa League finalists Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta, plus Feyenoord and Sporting CP.
UEFA has announced that the Champions League matches will be played during one week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with the matches taking place on 17, 18 and 19 September.
After that, the competition returns on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with the league stage running from mid-September to the end of January.
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