Liverpool were drawn into Group A on Thursday evening where they will face Ajax, Napoli and Rangers in an exciting draw for the Reds.
It’s a tough draw for Liverpool, Dutch champions Ajax are always tricky in Europe, whilst familiar face Napoli have had Liverpool’s number in recent years.
A trip to Ibrox to face Scottish side Rangers will be the highlight of the group stage; expect fireworks and atmosphere aplenty.
Jurgen Klopp spoke to Liverpool’s official club website and gave his verdict on the draw and how he thinks Liverpool will fare.
This is how our 2022/23 @ChampionsLeague group looks 🔒#UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/3LfaTpHY5V
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 25, 2022
“All of the clubs have quality, they all have pedigree and I would say they all have a chance. The good thing is that we do also, so it makes sense for us to look forward to the challenge and give it a try.”
Klopp went on to state how every game in the competition is tough, so whoever Liverpool were drawn against would be a challenge.
“We did not ask for any favours and we have not been given any but this is not a competition where you can look for easy ways through because the standard is always unbelievably high.”
The German boss also spoke about the competition’s different timeline this season, due to the FIFA World Cup.
“The difference this year is that the group stage will be shorter than usual, so we will have to be ready not just for the quality of the opposition but also for the different demands and rhythms.”
Klopp went into depth about the sides Liverpool have drawn in Group A and talked about their recent history with Ajax and Napoli.
“It was only a couple of years back that we played two really tough matches against Ajax and we get drawn against Napoli pretty regularly, so we know quite a bit about both of them and they know quite a bit about us. I know there will also be some new lessons to be learned, though. There always are.”
Klopp also weighed in on facing Scottish side Rangers, who gained qualification to the tournament this week after beating PSV.
“Rangers are a new opponent for us but we know them, too. Their story over the last few years has been really interesting and they did really, really well to qualify for the group stage, given the teams they were up against in the qualifying matches.”
The Liverpool boss also stated how it will be a pleasure to come up against the former Reds playing for Rangers.
“We also know a couple of their players well. Ryan Kent has had a great development since moving to Scotland and Ben Davies is just starting out on his journey with Rangers, so it will be good to come up against them.”