Liverpool manager Arne Slot will seek to emulate Jurgen Klopp and add the Champions League title to his trophy cabinet when the new UCL season kicks off next week.
Expectations weren’t very high when Slot replaced the legendary Klopp in the hot seat last season, but the Dutch gaffer ensured a seamless transition and delivered the league to Anfield in his first season in charge. They wrapped up the title with four games to spare and finished a comfortable 10 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal.
Slot’s Reds were also excellent in the Champions League in 24/25, topping the newly formed league phase, but were eliminated by eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16.
Liverpool however had themselves to blame for it- they won their first seven games in the league phase last year, and with top spot wrapped up, the Reds took it easy in their final fixture against PSV Eindhoven. As fate would have it, they lost 3-2, and that pushed PSV ahead of PSG in the table. If the Reds had won, they wouldn’t have met Paris in the Round of 16 and would probably have faced either Monaco or Benfica.
That result was an excellent example of why every game counts in the new format, and Slot’s charges have some very tasty fixtures coming up in this season’s campaign.
25/26 season draw
There are no easy fixtures in the CL, but Liverpool will be reasonably happy with their draw. Their toughest opponents on paper- Real Madrid and Atleti, are both home fixtures. The Reds have also made a number of high-profile signings this summer- Kerkez, Isak, Wirtz, Frimpong and Ekitike to name a few, and this side looks stronger than last year’s one.
The biggest test on the road will probably be last season’s finalists Inter Milan. Galatasaray, Marseille and Eintracht Frankfurt all have strong fanbases and will be tricky to negotiate, but it’s hard to look past Inter’s pedigree.
The punters also seem to concur that the draw is a nice one for the Reds- LFC are favourites in the betting for the CL at the time of writing, with Barcelona and Paris SG expected to provide strong competition.
Liverpool will start their campaign at home against Diego Simeone’s Atletico. Fans will remember that Atleti were also the side that knocked Klopp’s Liverpool out of the CL in the year when they won their first league title of the modern Premier League era in dominant fashion (2020)
A fortnight after the Atleti game, the Reds will make the long trip east to Turkey, where they will face Galatasaray. The Turkish capital holds fond memories for Liverpool fans- it was the scene of one of their greatest ever European triumphs (against Milan in 2005).
Matchday 3 is also on the road, but in Germany, with Eintracht Frankfurt awaiting the Reds. Frankfurt finished third in the Bundesliga last season behind Bayern Munich and Leverkusen, but their points tally of 60 was a whopping 22 behind champions Bayern.
Week 4 is a return to home comforts for the Reds, but also their toughest fixture of the league phase in the form of Real Madrid. The clash acquires an extra edge following the transfer of Trent Alexander Arnold earlier this summer, and despite his achievements at Anfield, the former right-back is expected to get a fiery welcome from the fans. There is also talk of current LFC central defender Ibrahima Konate going to Real on a free next season.
November begins with a trip to Eindhoven to take on PSV, and this will be a chance for the Reds to lay down a marker after seeing how a loss to the same side ended up denting their CL ambitions last season.
Matchday 6 sees Liverpool travel to the San Siro to take on Inter Milan. The last meeting between the two sides saw Inter win 1-0 at Anfield in March 2022- in fact the Nerazzurri were the only team to return with all three points from Anfield in that campaign. They were also finalists in 2024/25, and Liverpool will look at this fixture against the Italian giants as potentially their toughest on the road.
Matchday 7 in the new year will see the Reds travel to the south coast of France to take on Olympique Marseille, who will be tricky opponents under Roberto de Zerbi, the ex-Brighton and Hove Albion gaffer who is now in charge of OM.
The last league phase game will also the be the easiest for the Reds, with Azeri side Qarabag visiting Anfield.