As the draw for the first stage of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League has been finalized, Liverpool have been placed in a group full of challenges and opportunities, where they will play with world-class giants Real Madrid, Bundesliga powerhouse Leverkusen, French Ligue 1 powerhouse Lille, Serie A newcomers Bologna, Bundesliga prospect Leipzig, veteran Serie A powerhouse Milan, Dutch Ligue 1 winners PSV Eindhoven, and La Liga promotion rivals Girona. Faced with such a luxurious lineup, Liverpool manager Jürgen Sloter expressed his views on the draw results and looked into the future of his team in an official club interview.
Slotter began by acknowledging that the draw is both a great challenge and an exciting opportunity for Liverpool. He said that being part of such a strong group of teams means that Liverpool will face countless possibilities in the upcoming matches, and also need to put in more efforts to cope with each match.
Speaking about specific opponents, Sloter made a special mention of Real Madrid, stating that the Anfield match against Real Madrid will undoubtedly be the marquee match in the group. As the defending champions of the Champions League, Real Madrid is undoubtedly the one that all teams want to beat, but Sloter also emphasized that Liverpool will not ignore any of their other opponents. He pointed out that whether it is Leverkusen, Lille, Bologna, Leipzig, Milan or PSV Eindhoven, they are all the best in their respective leagues and will need to give their all in every game.
For Eindhoven and Leverkusen, two teams that are also league champions, Slot said he knows them very well and believes they will pose a good challenge for Liverpool. He emphasized that in the Champions League, each team has its own characteristics and advantages, and Liverpool needs to stay alert and prepare for each game carefully.
Finally, Slaughter looked ahead to the team's future, saying that Liverpool will continue to work hard and play every game one at a time. There is still a long way to go in both the Premier League and the Champions League, but Liverpool is ready for any challenge.
