FeatureReal again, Alonso returns, two new opponents - UCL draw talking points

Arne Slot’s men will face eight different opponents during the revamped league phase, with 36 teams competing for qualification to the knockout rounds.

The Reds are set to host Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Bologna at Anfield, and travel to RB Leipzig, AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven and Girona.

Here, we take a look at some standout themes within the fixtures to look forward to…

Real Madrid again…

Having only clashed five times competitively before 2018, Liverpool and Real have been regular foes since meeting in the Champions League final of that year. They subsequently faced off in the quarter-finals of 2020-21 and then once more in the showpiece of 2022. And the Reds’ last outing in the tournament was against Los Blancos in the Round of 16 in 2022-23. With Real - the current holders - having had the upper hand on each of those occasions, Liverpool have ample motivation to change that trend.

Alonso back at Anfield…

A fan favourite as a result of his playing exploits during five years with the Reds, former midfielder Xabi Alonso will return to Merseyside as a manager with Leverkusen, whom he sensationally led to a German league and cup double last season, going unbeaten in the Bundesliga. It will be the first contest between the clubs since the knockout rounds of Liverpool’s triumphant 2004-05 campaign in the Champions League; Alonso actually missed those two meetings due to injury.

Two new opponents…

While several of their rivals are very familiar to Liverpool, there are two teams within the schedule that the Reds will be taking on for the first time in their history: Bologna and Girona. The former bagged their place in the competition after finishing fifth in Serie A last season and the latter take their spot in the Champions League having claimed third in La Liga.

Facing Leipzig in Leipzig…

Liverpool have crossed swords with RB Leipzig before, but the forthcoming away match against the German outfit will nevertheless still be the club’s first visit to Leipzig competitively. That’s because the only two previous encounters between the sides - in the Champions League knockout rounds of 2020-21 - were both played at the neutral venue of Budapest’s Puskas Arena as a result of COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time.

• Read: Arne Slot reacts to Champions League draw

Gakpo returns to former club…

The Reds’ assignment away at PSV will be a particularly special occasion for Cody Gakpo. A boyhood PSV fan, the Netherlands forward rose all the way through the ranks at the Eindhoven club to make his name professionally before departing to join Liverpool back in January 2023. And now he can look forward to his current club versus his old when Slot’s men travel to Philips Stadion.