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Liverpool are back in the Champions League for the first time in consecutive seasons since 2009-10 and face a difficult group stage draw—but one that means they will still be favoured to advance, despite ending up in one of the hardest groups for the 2018-19 edition.
Group C sees Liverpool in the mix with French champions PSG and Serie A stalwarts Napoli, with Red Star Belgrade rounding things out, and most will have Liverpool down to either top the group or to finish runners-up to PSG—despite being in Pot 3, that is the expectation.
Liverpool were paired with Manchester United in England while Spurs were paired with City, meaning when the first of each pair was drawn into Group A-D or Group E-H, the other club could only be drawn into the other, with each set of groups playing on alternate days.
With United drawing into Group H and Spurs into Group B from Pot 2, it meant Liverpool knew they could only end up in Group A, C, or D when it came time to draw teams from Pot 3. By the time it was Liverpool’s turn, only Group C was left open for them to land in.
Of 538’s top eight ranked club sides, seven were placed in pot one for the draw. One was placed in pot three. That one club was Liverpool, who are ranked ahead of both PSG and Napoli, who will both be feeling unlucky to have ended up with the Reds in their group.