Liverpool braced for journey into Champions League unknown

LIVERPOOL will be praying for a total solution to their Champions League headache when the draw is made for the first two qualifying rounds of the competition today.

Kairat Almaty in Kazakhstan should be low-quality opponents but faced with an eight-hour flight Liverpool would much rather a two-hour coach trip to Llansantffraid to face Welsh champions Total Network Solutions.

Matches in Azerbaijan or Armenia are also possibilities when the Reds start the defence of their crown next month after being given special dispensation by UEFA to take part in next season’s competition despite finishing outside the top four qualifying places in the Premiership.

The 12 potential opponents for Liverpool are: FK Rabotnicki (Macedonia), FC Dinamo Minsk (Belarus), FC Pyunik (Armenia), Sliema Wanderers (Malta), KF Tirana (Albania), FC Levadia Tallinn (Estonia), Glentoran (Northern Ireland), Total Network Solutions (Wales), F91 Dudelange (Luxembourg), PFC Neftchi (Azerbaijan), HB Torshavn (Faroe Islands) and FC Kairat Almaty (Kazhakstan).

The draw takes place in Nyon, Switzerland, at 11am this morning and UEFA will also draw the second qualifying round.

As fourth in the top seeds, Liverpool will be guaranteed games against the weaker, unseeded sides meaning they will avoid playing Celtic in the second qualifying round.

Celtic are also guaranteed to play unseeded teams in both their qualifying rounds and, if they make the group stage, their UEFA coefficient means they will be, like Chelsea, among the second seeds and even ahead of those sides who qualified automatically for the group phase.

UEFA’s coefficients, top seeds (if all qualify for group phase): 1 Real Madrid (Spa) 131.326, 2 AC Milan (Ita) 121.191, 3 Barcelona (Spa) 117.326, 4 Liverpool (Eng, title-holders) 115.864***, 5 Man Utd (Eng) 110.864*, 6 Inter Milan (Ita) 101.191*, 7 Bayern Munich (Ger) 97.166, 8 Arsenal (Eng) 93.864.

Second seeds (if all qualify): 9 Porto (Por) 93.739, 10 Juventus (Ita) 93.191, 11 PSV Eindhoven (Hol) 84.145, 12 Lyon (Fra) 81.324, 13 Panathinaikos (Gre) 70.715*, 14 Chelsea (Eng) 68.864, 15 Celtic (Sco) 63.476**, 16 Villarreal (Spa) 58.326*.

Third seeds (if all qualify): 17 Sporting Lisbon (Por) 55.739*, 18 Monaco (Fra) 53.324*, 19 Ajax (Hol) 52.145*, 20 Bruges (Bel) 50.476*, 21 Anderlecht (Bel) 47.476**, 22 Olympiacos (Gre) 46.715, 23 Schalke (Ger) 44.166, 24 Sparta Prague (Cze) 43.223.

Fourth seeds (if all qualify): 25 Lille (Fra) 41.324, 26 Rangers (Sco) 40.476*, 27 Dynamo Kiev (Ukr) 40.200**, 28 Werder Bremen (Ger) 40.166*, 29 Lokomotiv Moscow (Rus) 38.469**, 30 Benfica (Por) 36.739, 31 Rosenborg (Nor) 36.665*, 33 Slavia Prague (Cze) 35.223.

Others: 34 Real Betis (Spa) 34.326*, 36 Udinese (Ita) 30.191*, 42 Everton (Eng) 20.864*.

* = must play one qualifying round.

** = must play two qualifying rounds.

*** = must play three qualifying rounds.