Liverpool In Pot 3 For Champions League Draw

Liverpool could be drawn into a difficult Champions League group after being left in pot three following Benfica's qualification for the group stages.

If Basel and Benfica had failed to qualify for the group stage draw, which takes place on Thursday in Monaco at 5pm, last year's runners-up would have been in pot two.

While Basel were unable to progress, Benfica beat PAOK Salonika 4-1 in Greece on Wednesday night - after a 1-1 draw in the first leg - to reach the group stages, consigning Liverpool to pot three.

Liverpool are the top-ranked team in pot three based on their UEFA coefficient of 62.000, narrowly missing out on pot two as they trail Roma who have a coefficient of 64.000.

Jurgen Klopp's side were bound to be drawn against some of Europe's elite with the league champions and winners of Champions League and Europa League all in pot one.

However, had they been placed in pot two they could have avoided facing Borussia Dortmund, Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Benfica, Napoli or Roma.

Champions League pots

Pot One

Real Madrid

Atletico Madrid

Barcelona

Bayern Munich

Manchester City

Juventus

Paris Saint-Germain

Lokomotiv Moscow

Pot Two

Borussia Dortmund 

Porto 

Manchester United 

Shakthar Donetsk 

Benfica 

Napoli 

Tottenham 

Roma 

Pot Three

Liverpool 

Schalke 

Lyon 

Monaco 

Ajax 

CSKA Moscow 

Valencia 

PSV Eindhoven 

Pot Four

Viktoria Plzen 

Club Brugge 

Galatasaray 

Young Boys 

Inter Milan 

Hoffenheim 

Red Star Belgrade 

AEK Athens