Europa League group stage draw: who can Liverpool face and when?

Liverpool will determine their opponents for their first Europa League season since reaching the 2016 final in Friday’s draw. Here’s who they can face.

The Reds were knocked out of Champions League places last season for the first time in seven years as they are used to dining at the top of European football.

Jurgen Klopp led his side to three Champions League finals between 2018 and 2022, but he is due to play football for the next European Championship on Thursday night.

Despite dropping a notch for the 2023/24 season, there are still a number of top clubs Liverpool could face if they are to progress to the knockout stages of the competition.

The groups will consist of one team from each of the four pots, with Liverpool unable to meet another English side until later rounds.

The Reds are the highest ranked team in the competition and are therefore in the first pot. Here’s a look at who we could face in the Europa League group stage this year.

Europa League group stage winning pots

Here are the 32 teams in the Europa League. Liverpool will be drawn in pots two, three and four. They cannot be drawn with Brighton, meaning there are 23 potential opponents in Friday’s draw.

Pot 1: Liverpool, West Ham, Roma, Villarreal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atalanta, Ajax, Rangers

Pot 2: Sporting CP, Slavia Prague, Rennes, Olympiakos, Real Betis, Marseille, Qarabag

Pot 2 or 3: Molde

Pot 3: Brighton, Sheriff Tiraspol, Union Saint-Gilloise, SC Freiburg, Sparta Prague, Maccabi Haifa, Sturm Graz

Pot 3 or 4: Toulouse

Pot 4: AEK Athens, TSC, Servette, Panathinaikos, Rakow Czestochowa, Limassol

TBC: BK Hacken, LASK

When and where is the draw?

The draw will be taking place in Monaco on Friday, September 1 at 12pm (BST).

It will also be streamed live on UEFA‘s website and on TNT Sports 1.

Group Stage Schedule

Matchday 1: September 21

Matchday 2: October 5

Matchday 3: October 26

Matchday 4: November 9

Matchday 5: November 30

Matchday 6: December 14

The Round of 16 will then begin with a play-off in February, which Liverpool can circumvent by finishing top of their group.

The final will take place in Dublin on May 22, where Liverpool will be hoping to do better than their previous appearance at Basel eight years earlier.

More news…….

Aston Villa injury news as four players miss out against Liverpool as Philippe Coutinho speaks

Aston Villa injury news: The latest updates from Unai Emery’s side as they prepare for the game against Liverpool. Philippe Coutinho could seal a transfer exit and is also missing.

Philippe Coutinho hasn’t had the best time since leaving Liverpool in 2018, while his inflated transfer fee allowed the Reds to sign Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk and win the draw.

The Aston Villa team he joined is also very different from the current team as Unai Emery (and big money) turned the Midlands side into a European one.

In fact, they will play in the UEFA Conference League this season and hope to emulate West Ham United by winning this tournament. She certainly has the ideal manager to succeed in Europe.

But before that, there is still a trip to Anfield. Liverpool are keen to continue their strong start to the Premier League season but will face a tough test, including without Virgil van Dijk (suspended) and Ibrahima Konaté (injured).

Here’s a look at Aston Villa’s availability for the game, which sees four players sidelined and ineligible for Emery’s pick.

Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings

Aston Villa didn’t have much luck with injuries earlier this season. Emi Buendía and Tyrone Mings will be out for long periods with knee injuries.

The two are expected to be out “for a long time,” Emery explained last week. Both have undergone surgery and will experience significant downtime in the meantime. Of course, neither will play against Liverpool at Anfield.

Jacob Ramsay

Jacob Ramsay is a real talent (Steven Gerrard was a huge fan during his time at Villa Park) and another big fail. In last season’s match against Liverpool at Anfield, the attacking midfielder was on the scoresheet.

He currently has an ankle injury that will keep him out for a few more weeks. He won’t be involved in that, but it will be a big boost for Emery when he gets back.

Philip Coutinho

Ex-Liverpool attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho is likely to be missing for a while, but he may not even be an Aston Villa player when he gets into the game, thanks to transfer interests from a number of places.

Fabrizio Romano reports (on Twitter/X) that Beşiktaş and Real Betis are both options for the Brazilian, with Emery willing to lose the Barcelona player to Gerrard. Coutinho is currently out with a hamstring injury but that shouldn’t hold him back for long. Despite brilliant performances in the Midlands, he just doesn’t look like the same player as before his dream move to Camp Nou.