Liverpool have been handed one of the easiest paths to the Champions League knockout stages following the draw for the league phase on Thursday.
The Reds will play home games against Spanish duo Atletico Madrid and Villarreal, regular Portuguese opponents Porto and French side Lens. They will also have away games at Italian champions Inter, Fenerbahce of Turkey, Belgium's Club Brugge and LASK Linz of Austria, who came from 4-0 down to beat Celtic in the play-offs.
New coach's first European campaign
New head coach Andoni Iraola will be managing in European competition for the first time having replaced the sacked Arne Slot earlier in the summer.
Research has revealed Liverpool are playing more lower ranked teams in the competition using the UEFA coefficient - based on each club's record in European competition over the preceding five years - than the majority of their rivals.
Coefficient rankings and opposition
The Reds are presently eighth in the rankings, which have Bayern Munich top and Arsenal in second place. Despite winning the Champions League in each of the last two seasons, Paris Saint-Germain are ranked fourth behind Real Madrid.
Inter are Liverpool's only first stage opponents who are above them in the rankings in fifth place. Atletico are next in 10th, after which come Porto in 15th, Club Brugge in 17th and Fenerbahce in 27th. The remainder see Villarreal in 50th, Lens 103rd and LASK 138th.
The total tally of rankings - the higher the total, the conceivably easier the overall opposition - is surpassed only by Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Feyenoord and Napoli.
Historical record against opponents
With none of those clubs in the top 18 of the rankings, it could be argued Liverpool, on recent European showings, have been given the most straightforward task. Indeed, based on individual coefficients alone, only Sporting Lisbon have a more generous fixture schedule.
While Liverpool have not previously played Fenerbahce or Lens in European competition, they historically have a good record against their other six opponents. They have won five of seven games against Inter, beat LASK home and away in the Europa League in 2023/24, defeated Club Brugge in the 1976 UEFA Cup final and the European Cup final two years later, eliminated Villarreal at the semi-final stage of both the Europa League and Champions League, haven't lost in 10 meetings with Porto, and edge the head-to-head with Atletico Madrid having won the last three clashes.
