Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona In Pot 1 As UEFA CL Draw Holds August 29
Liverpool are heading into the Champions League 2019/20 competition as defending champions.
The Reds claimed the European Cup in Madrid against Tottenham after a sensational run to the final, having made it to the competition’s showpiece in the previous year too but losing out to Real Madrid.
The victory in June enhanced the club’s sparkling reputation in the competition, having won it six times, and Jurgen Klopp’s side are now one of the most feared opponents throughout the world.
The draw takes place on August 29 at 4.30pm and will be hosted in Monaco.
By beating Mauricio Pochettino’s side 2-0 in the Spanish capital, Madrid in May, Liverpool are top seeds for the draw and therefore in Pot 1.
Also in Pot 1 are Europa League winners Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester City, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Zenit St Petersburg – meaning the Reds cannot face any of these sides.
Nor can they be drawn against Tottenham, who are guaranteed to be in Pot Two, as teams from the same country are kept apart at this stage of the competition.
While Pots Two, Three and Four will only be confirmed once the qualifiers are finished on August 28, there are certain teams whose placing is secured.
In Pot Two, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and Shakhtar Donetsk will definitely join Tottenham, while Porto and Ajax will also be in Pot Two if they negotiate their qualifiers.
Pot Three includes Benfica, Lyon, Bayer Leverkusen, FC Salzburg, Valencia and Inter Milan, with Dinamo Kiev and Celtic provisionally included on the basis they win through the qualifying round.
And in Pot Four, Lokomotiv Moscow, Genk, Galatasaray, RB Leipzig, Atalanta and Lille are in, with Copenhagen and Dinamo Zagreb looking to join them.