Topic: 2017/18 Champions League group stage draw. Thursday 24th August at 5pm

[Desert Red Fox]

Good news we're now guaranteed to be seeded. Our opponents will be one of:

Sporting Lisbon, Viktoria Plzen, CSKA Moscow, Club Brugge, Steaua Bucharest, Young Boys, Hoffenheim, Nice, Istanbul Basaksehir or Beşiktaş, runners-up in Greece

If we can't beat one of those...

Let's fucking thrash them, Reds!

[JackWard33]

Christ that list of possible opponents compared to not being seeded is chalk and cheese! Great results for us in the last couple of weeks

[Number 7]

Great that we're seeded.

[Mr_Shane]

Steaua please. I fancy a little trip to Bucharest and they are shit.

Nice is stunning but the stadium is out of the way and you get dropped off "near" then have to fucking walk miles. Fuck that in that heat again.

There is also a certain Mr Mario Balotelli

[Caligula?]

Young Boys wouldn't be so bad. Think we'd shaft them.

Nice - no. You just know Balotelli is going to score.

[N0rnIr0nRed]

Steaua please. I fancy a little trip to Bucharest and they are shit.

Nice is stunning but the stadium is out of the way and you get dropped off "near" then have to fucking walk miles. Fuck that in that heat again.

haha i know those Euro 2016 feels

[luckyluke]

Sporting seems like the best one we could face, so an Ajax win is desirable on many levels.

Also the dates look a bit late, no? Thought they would have been over with usually by the time the PL started.

[Ray K]

Young Boys wouldn't be so bad. Think we'd shaft them.

Etc etc.

[Number 7]

If Napoli finish 3rd are they unseeded?

[Barefoot Doctor]

If Napoli finish 3rd are they unseeded?

Whoever finishes third in Italy - Napoli or Roma - will be seeded.

[Mr_Shane]

I think both Napoli and Roma will be seeded. However, one will go to the automatic group stage, the other will play a qualifier

[alvaro]

The toughest from that lot seem Hoffenheim, but they have little experience in Europe compared to our experience in the Europa League late stages.

[J-Mc-]

When's the draw?

[invader_gir]

04/08/17: Play-off draw

15–16/08/17: Play-off round, first leg
22–23/08/17: Play-off round, second leg

Possible opponents so far (see "unseeded teams" on the table):

young boys u say

[Number 7]

Whoever finishes third in Italy - Napoli or Roma - will be seeded.

Ok, so we avoid another potentially tough game there too.

[markedasred]

This is a great conversation to be in eh folks?

[thisyearisouryear]

When's the draw?

First week of August.

[Wabaloolah]

Young Boys wouldn't be so bad. Think we'd shaft them.

Nice - no. You just know Balotelli is going to score.

[alvaro]

When's the draw?

First they have to draw the 3rd round qualifiers and play that out. Our draw will be somewhere around mid August.

[Lycan]

The toughest from that lot seem Hoffenheim, but they have little experience in Europe compared to our experience in the Europa League late stages.

I think i'd rather play Hoffenheim than one of the eastern european sides myself.

[J-Mc-]

First week of August.

Cheers mate.

Potential banana skin with Young Boys (who have gave English teams a decent game before,) and Hoffenheim however, give it everything we've got and we should be fine.

[Wabaloolah]

Etc etc.

beat me to it!

[Mali1]

Does this mean we play a second leg at home?

[pyroparty]

There is also a certain Mr Mario Balotelli

  There is that!

haha i know those Euro 2016 feels

Right?! "The special match day bus drops you off at the stadium". Well not fucking quite hey? Was like doing Lime Street to Anfield or something, was never fucking ending! 

[alvaro]

I think i'd rather play Hoffenheim than one of the eastern european sides myself.

Dynamo Kiev is seeded, the russian sides could be trickier but fortunaly CSKA qualified and not Zenit( I think that locked the seed for us).

[Zoomers]

Happy days. Mane will be back and we'll most likely have some new additions, happy days.

[alvaro]

Does this mean we play a second leg at home?

No, that gets drawn.

[Zlen]

I'll finally watch a game of Champions League, it's been a few years.
Thank you Liverpool.

[alvaro]

When was the last time we played a qualifier anyway? The last 2 times we qualified we did it directly. I think it was against Standard Liege when Kuyt won it in deep extra time for us.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

When was the last time we played a qualifier anyway? The last 2 times we qualified we did it directly. I think it was against Standard Liege when Kuyt won it in deep extra time for us.

And the one before it was against Tolouse I believe, Voronin scored in one of those games, but I can't remember the other.

[Barneylfc∗]

It's fucking delightful 

[oojason]

article on it from the superb TIA - https://www.thisisanfield.com/2017/05/liverpool-will-enter-champions-league-play/

[Barneylfc∗]

The Czech league finishes next Saturday
The Greek champoins league spot is decided in a mini tournament involving 2nd-5th in the league. They play each other home and away and this is completed on Wednesday 31st May.

Nither will have any bearing on our seeding, but will sort our potential opponents out

[Mr_Shane]

Rodgers' Celtic? ahh.... knowing our luck, we will probably end up meeting them at some stage

[Kenny's Jacket]

Rodgers' Celtic? ahh.... knowing our luck, we will probably end up meeting them at some stage

i hope so.

[Dim Glas]

i hope so.

yup, me too.

[Barefoot Doctor]

Apparently we're also guaranteed to be in pot 3 of the group stage draw if we make it - there was a possibility of us being pot 4.

[Black Bull Nova]

I'll finally watch a game of Champions League, it's been a few years.
Thank you Liverpool.

Have you been in space?

[GregCharrua]

But August is so far away.

[kennedy81]

So we're in the second pot?