Liverpool are a step nearer to discovering which teams they could face in the Europa League group stage.
The draw for the 32-team first phase takes place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Friday at 12pm UK time.
Jurgen Klopp’s side, who are in the competition for the first time since reaching the final in 2016 having finished outside the Premier League top four last season, already know they are seeded in Pot 1 as the highest-ranked team after reaching three of the last six Champions League finals.
And a total of 22 teams have now been confirmed in the group stage after the Champions League play-off round was completed on Wednesday evening. Rangers, Greek duo AEK Athens and Panathinaikos, Rakow Czetochowa of Poland, Norwegian side Molde and Maccabi Haifa of Israel were all eliminated and have dropped into the Europa League.
The remaining 10 places are to be decided on Thursday evening via the final Europa League play-off round. Slavia Prague, Olympiacos, Ajax, Qarabag, Union Saint-Gilloise and Dinamo Zagreb all hold at least a two-goal lead from their respective first legs and are in a strong position to qualify, while the other four ties – including the one involving Aberdeen, who drew 2-2 with BK Hacken of Sweden in the initial match – are more in the balance.
Only Ajax and Dinamo Zagreb are capable of joining Liverpool in Pot 1, meaning the remainder of the teams who progress from the play-offs are potential group stage opponents for the Reds.
The rankings of the pots are determined by the clubs’ UEFA coefficient – which is based on performance in Europe over the previous five seasons – with West Ham United among the top sides having qualified by winning the Europa Conference League last season. Only Bayern Munich and Manchester City can boast a higher coefficient than Liverpool at present.
Teams from the same country cannot be drawn together this early in the competition. UEFA will announce any other restrictions ahead of the draw.
Pot 1: West Ham United, Liverpool, Roma, Villarreal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atalanta
Pot 1 or 2: Rangers, Sporting Lisbon
Pot 2: Rennes, Betis, Marseille
Pot 2 or 3: Molde, Brighton, Freiburg, Maccabi Haifa
Pot 3 or 4: Sturm Graz, Toulouse, AEK Athens
Pot 4: TSC Backa Topola, Servette, Panathinaikos, Rakow Czetstochowa
To qualify: 10 play-off winners on Thursday night, who will be spread throughout the four pots.
