Real Madrid and Liverpool Could Renew Rivalry in the Group Stages of Next Season’s Champions League

• Real Madrid and Liverpool have been placed in different pots for next season’s Champions League draw which could see the two giants renew their rivalry
• Madrid, by virtue of winning La Liga and the Champions League, will be in Pot 1 with other champions of Europe’s best leagues
• Liverpool will join the likes of Chelsea, Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona in Pot 2 in the draw that will be held on August 25th

Real Madrid could face Liverpool again soon enough in the UEFA Champions League. The two sides are in different pots for next season’s Champions League group stages and could be placed in the same group.

This comes on the backdrop of the two teams meeting four times in the past four years, with Real Madrid emerging victorious every time.

The most recent one was this season’s Champions League final where a Vinicius Junior strike in the second half gave the Los Blancos their 14th European crown. The two sides also met in the 2018 final where Real Madrid won 3-1 and in the quarter-finals last season.

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The Daily Mail reports that Liverpool could now be handed another opportunity to seek revenge. Real Madrid had already cemented their place in Pot 1 by winning the La Liga trophy. Liverpool will be in Pot 2 paving the way for the two teams to be drawn together.

Joining Madrid in Pot 1 are the champions in Europe’s best seven leagues and the Europa League winner, Eintracht Frankfurt. The champions are Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Ajax and Porto.

Pot 2 has Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig and Sevilla.

The confirmed teams in Pot 3 are Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Napoli, Sporting Lisbon, Bayer Leverkusen, FC Salzburg and Shakhtar Donestk. Benfica could join Pot three if they succeed in the qualifying round.

Only two teams have been confirmed for Pot 4, i.e., Celtic and Club Brugge. The rest will be decided at a later date after the playoff matches.

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Lionel Messi says Karim Benzema deserves to win the Ballon d'Or this season

Sports Brief had earlier reported that Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi is convinced Real Madrid's Karim Benzema is the undisputed favourite to succeed him as the best player in the world.

Benzema's stellar campaign was crowned with a Champions League winner's medal on top of La Liga's success last Saturday to underline an impressive season which has firmly put him in the driving seat for the Ballon d'Or award.

The Frenchman, who bagged an incredible 44 goals in 46 games, is the overwhelming favourite to win this year's coveted diadem.