Jurgen Klopp didn’t understand the question. “What do you mean how much of a priority?”
Liverpool are not the first Premier League club to have been accused of devaluing the Europa League, Europe’s second-tier competition behind the Champions League, but Klopp was keen to put the record straight.
“Unfortunately, my career is not like this where I can choose, to be honest,” the German coach shrugged. “I have to take what I get. When we play the competition it’s the most important competition on the planet. Easy as that.”
By that logic, Klopp will be a keen spectator for the Europa League‘s round of 16 draw which takes place this week. Liverpool are one of three Premier League clubs guaranteed a spot in the pots at UEFA’s headquarters in Switzerland alongside Brighton and West Ham United.
Here’s everything you need to know about Klopp’s latest priority.
UEFA have done their best to avoid complicating the draw – although, it would be far too straightforward to simply allow any names to be plucked out of the bowl at random.
The eight seeded teams won their Europa League group. These victors will be drawn against the clubs that emerge from the competition’s knockout round play-offs.
These two-legged ties taking place in the second half of February pit the runners-up from each Europa League group against the clubs that finished third in the Champions League equivalent.
One final caveat ensures that no two teams from the same association can be drawn against one another.
The draw for the round of 16 will take place after the conclusion of the knockout round play-offs. One day after the decisive second legs, the great and good of European football descends upon Nyon for the ceremony on Friday 23 September at 11:00 GMT.
The House of European Football, UEFA’s Swiss headquarters on the banks of Lake Geneva, will stage the latest flurry of ball plucking.
As ever, UEFA will stream the spellbinding spectacle of an underemployed ex-footballer struggling to uncap the containers holding each club’s name on their official website.
UK viewers can also tune in on TNT Sports 2 which begins its broadcast at 11:00 GMT.
|
Qualified team |
Nation |
Method of qualification |
|---|---|---|
|
West Ham |
England |
Group A winners |
|
Brighton |
England |
Group B winner |
|
Rangers |
Scotland |
Group C winner |
|
Atalanta |
Italy |
Group D winner |
|
Liverpool |
England |
Group E winner |
|
Villarreal |
Spain |
Group F winner |
|
Slavia Prague |
Czech Republic |
Group G winner |
|
Bayer Leverkusen |
Germany |
Group H winner |
The first legs of this year’s Europa League last-16 fixtures get underway on Thursday 7 March, affording club analysts less than two weeks to scout their imminent opponents. The final half of these ties take place just a week later, on Thursday 14 March.
This scheduling doesn’t do any favours for Liverpool in particular. The Reds host reigning Premier League champions Manchester City before travelling to Everton’s Goodison Park in a Merseyside derby on either side of their continental second leg. Klopp’s professed lack of competition preference will be put to the test during this sequence.
