Liverpool and Thursday Night Football: A Look at the Reds’ Potential Europa League Opponents
Liverpool fans can get used to Thursday night and Sunday afternoon games this coming season, with the first Europa League matchday in late September (21st), followed by West Ham at home on Sunday 24th. The Reds will be competing in Europe’s second-tier competition, and here we take a look at who their potential opponents can be in the group stage – and beyond that in the knockout stages.
Teams Liverpool Cannot Face in Group Stage
The teams that will also be seeded in pot one, and therefore Liverpool can’t draw them in the group stage, but could face them in the later knockout stages, are West Ham, Roma, Villarreal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atalanta, and Brighton.
Confirmed Potential Opponents
There are a handful of sides who have qualified for the Europa League but aren’t in the top seeded group, and therefore are among the potential opponents in the group stages. These are Real Betis, Freiburg, Sporting CP, Toulouse, and Rennes.
Likely Others
With play off qualifiers taking place throughout August, it won’t be until the evening of August 31, after the final play-off second-leg ties, that we’ll know all the potential group stage opponents and thus the 32 teams entering the competition. Among the likely options though, are Slavia Prague, Olympiacos, Ajax, LASK, Aberdeen, Union Saint-Gilloise, FC Lugano, Zorya Luhansk, and FK Cukaricki.
Matchdays
Matchday 1: 21 September 2023
Matchday 2: 5 October 2023
Matchday 3: 26 October 2023
Matchday 4: 9 November 2023
Matchday 5: 30 November 2023
Matchday 6: 14 December 2023
The group stage draw takes place on September 1.
The Final
The final of the Europa League will be held in Dublin on May 22. Winning the Europa League also guarantees qualification into the Champions League the following season. New signing Dominic Szoboszlai has said it best: “I can accept that I won’t be able to play in [the Champions League] for a year, and I have a goal: to win the Europa League.”
Conclusion
Liverpool will be competing in Europe’s second-tier competition this coming season and they have a chance to make it to the final in Dublin on May 22. With play off qualifiers taking place throughout August, it won’t be until the evening of August 31 that we’ll know all the potential group stage opponents and thus the 32 teams entering the competition. Liverpool fans can look forward to Thursday night and Sunday afternoon games this coming season as they cheer for their team in the Europa League.