Liverpool Champions League seeding confirmed as nightmare clash becomes possible

After a one-year absence, Liverpool are back in the Champions League.

The Reds finished a disappointing fifth last season, recovering to qualify for the Europa League having previously looked unlikely to even finish in the European places. As a result, it was the first time Jurgen Klopp had failed to lead his side into Europe’s elite club competition since his first year at the club in 2015/16.

With expectations for the 2023/24 campaign reduced as a result, Liverpool headed into the new season hoping to at least reclaim a Champions League berth. And with the tournament’s revamp in 2024/25 opening up the possibility for five English teams to qualify, a battle for such a berth was perhaps anticipated.

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Instead, the Reds found themselves in a Premier League title-race for the majority of the campaign, only for a recent loss of form to see them fall away during the last six weeks of the season.

They have at least done enough to qualify for next season’s Champions League though, with Tottenham Hotspur's defeat at Chelsea last week guaranteeing their place in the top four. With Aston Villa then losing away at Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday prior to Liverpool’s own visit of Spurs, a top-three finish was clinched before even kicking a ball.

With Premier League sides not doing enough in Europe this season to clinch a fifth Champions League qualifying berth, missing out to Serie A and the Bundesliga, it is just as well that Klopp’s men have done enough to qualify on their own merits.

But while Liverpool will head into their 2024/25 Champions League