Champions League draw results 2017: Liverpool in Group E with Sevilla

After a mostly impressive, occasionally comical qualifying win over Hoffenheim, Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool side have been rewarded with a relatively gentle draw for the group stage. The pot of champions contained Juventus and Real Madrid, yet Liverpool ended up with Spartak Moscow; Pot 2 held Barcelona and PSG, and they drew Sevilla.

Which isn’t to say that this is going to be easy. Sevilla comfortably outclassed Liverpool two seasons ago in the Europa League final, while Spartak finished seven points ahead of CSKA Moscow last season. The group is rounded out by Slovenian champions FC Maribor, which plays in purple. And teams that play in purple are always special.

Liverpool’s Champions League group

Spartak Moscow
Sevilla
Liverpool
Maribor

Biggest challenger

Having won an impressive three consecutive Europa League titles in a row between 2014 and 2016, Sevilla broke their own streak in 2016-17 by making it into the last 16 of the Champions League. Here they were surprisingly overturned by Leicester City, though given Leicester’s recent history, that’s nothing much to be ashamed of.

In the league, though, they were a persistent pest to those of bigger status and budget and ended the season in fourth place, one of only three teams to beat Real Madrid in the league. They weren’t consistent, or great at defending, but on their day they could be brilliant. Which sounds rather like Liverpool, come to think of it.

Admittedly, this owed much to the coaching of Andre Agassi-lookalike Jorge Sampaoli, who has now departed for the Argentine national team. Midfielder Vitolo has departed too. But Éver Banega has returned to the only team for which he knows how to be good, and Jesús Navas is back to scurry up and down the right. Their new coach, Eduardo Berizzo, is the man behind Celta Vigo’s recent history of overachievement. They could be very awkward opponents indeed.

Prediction

Let’s be boring and assume that Liverpool’s attacking prowess will outweigh their defensive clownishness. They’ll pip Sevilla to top spot, but the Spanish side will come in second and make it through to the last 16 for the second year in a row. Spartak will pull off one shock win at some point but settle for the Europa League. And Maribor will threaten to pull off one shock win, collapse, and end up at the bottom.