Ajax draws Liverpool, Napoli and Rangers FC in Champions League group stage

Ajax will battle against Liverpool, Napoli and Rangers FC in the group stage of the Champions League. The Dutch champions drew those three teams during the lottery held in Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday.

Liverpool has had a poor start to the season in the Premier League. The club is in sixteenth place after three rounds. Two years ago, Ajax also played against Liverpool in the Champions League. But then, due to coronavirus, no supporters were allowed to enter Anfield.

Napoli is the leader of the Serie A in Italy after two rounds.

Rangers FC eliminated PSV on Wednesday. The team, coached by Giovanni van Bronckhorst, won 1-0 during the second leg in Eindhoven, after a 2-2 draw in Glasgow. At the start of the current season, Ajax paid 23 million euros to take over defender Calvin Bassey in a transfer from Rangers FC.

The first round of the new edition of the Champions League will be played on 6 and 7 September. The second group stage round will be a week later, on 13 and 14 September. The other dates are 4 and 5 October, 11 and 12 October, and 25 and 26 October.

The last group matches are scheduled for 1 and 2 November, a little bit less than three weeks before the start of the World Cup in Qatar.

UEFA will release the Champions League group stage match schedule at a later date.