Liverpool are close to finding out who they will play in the final round of Champions League qualification.
The play-off draw will commence on Friday 11am UK time and now that the third-round of qualifying has been completed, the Reds have an idea of what potential opponent they could be up against.
Liverpool are in the 'league route' group of teams for the playoff round. This means that teams that have not been crowned champions in their respective league will play against each other.
The other group of teams - or the 'champions route' - consists of teams such as Celtic, Olympiacos and Copenhagen. These teams have won their respective league, but their rating is not high enough to constitute direct qualification.
Liverpool, rather fortunately, do not have to face every team that is in the 'league route'. There are ten teams in this group, five of which are seeded. The Reds are one of them, as well as Sevilla, Napoli, Sporting Lisbon and CSKA Moscow.
That leaves Steaua Bucharest, Young Boys, Nice, Hoffenheim and Istanbul Basaksehir as the possible teams Liverpool could face.
The first leg of the playoff round will be played on 15 and 16 August, with the return legs played the week after on 22 and 23 August.
Now let's take a look at the worst and best case scenarios for Jurgen Klopp's side:
Nice
By far the most interesting clash, given the potential return of Mario Balotteli to Anfield. The 26-year old underwent a resurgence with the Ligue 1 club last year after disappointingly mightily in his one season with the Reds. The south-coast club had a stellar 2016/17 campaign, ultimately finishing in third place. Their recent form has proved to be good, having defeated Europa League finalists Ajax to make it through to the play-off round.
Hoffenheim
The Germans will also provide a robust challenge for the Reds. Led by their 29-year old manager Julian Nagelsmann, Hoffenheim had an extraordinary season in 2016/17. After coming close to relegation the season before, Nagelsmann led his young troops to fourth place in the Bundesliga. Fortunately for Liverpool, the club have lost two of their best players, Sebastian Ruby and Nikolas Sule, to Bayern Munich.
Young Boys
Liverpool could come up against a familiar foe in Young Boys. The Reds met the Swiss club in the 2012/13 Europa League group stages, winning the away leg 5-3, before drawing 2-2 at home. This could tricky for Liverpool given the Young Boys notorious plastic pitch.
Istanbul Basaksehir
The rise of Turkish club Istanbul Basaksehir culminated in a runners up finish in last year's Super Lig. The capital club were playing at an amateur level only 30 years ago. Former Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor provides them with somebody who has experience playing against a Premier League opponent.
Steaua Bucharest
Long removed from their glory days of the 80's, Steaua Bucharest could be one of the least challenging opponents for Liverpool. The 1986 European Cup winners finished second in the Romanian League last season.
Source: tribalfootball.com