Rafael Benitez admits his players must be on their guard after Liverpool learned their Champions League fate.
The Anfield outfit faces a trip into the unknown after being drawn in Group E alongside French side Lyon, Fiorentina of Italy and Hungarian outsiders Debreceni.
It will be the first time Liverpool have faced any of the trio in a competitive fixture.
Benitez’s side open the group stage with a home game against Hungarian champions Debreceni and end with a home game against Fiorentina, who finished fourth in Serie A last season.
Lyon’s stretch of seven consecutive French titles was ended last year when they could only finish third. But Benitez anticipates some tricky encounters lie in wait for his team.
“You know in the Champions League there will always be difficult games and tough teams to play against,” said the Spaniard. “Lyon might not have won the league last season but before that they won it many years in a row, so we know they have lots of good players who can play good football.
“Fiorentina are an historic club in a nice city. I know from experience they have fantastic supporters because I spent some time there when Claudio Ranieri was the coach. And we have experience of Hungarian football because of our relationship with MTK, so if Debreceni have won their league then we know it means it’s because they’re a good side.
“The important thing as always is that the travelling isn’t too bad, we don’t have too far to go for any of the games. We’re just looking forward to starting the competition now.”
The Anfield outfit faces a trip into the unknown after being drawn in Group E alongside French side Lyon, Fiorentina of Italy and Hungarian outsiders Debreceni.
It will be the first time Liverpool have faced any of the trio in a competitive fixture.
Benitez’s side open the group stage with a home game against Hungarian champions Debreceni and end with a home game against Fiorentina, who finished fourth in Serie A last season.
Lyon’s stretch of seven consecutive French titles was ended last year when they could only finish third. But Benitez anticipates some tricky encounters lie in wait for his team.
“You know in the Champions League there will always be difficult games and tough teams to play against,” said the Spaniard. “Lyon might not have won the league last season but before that they won it many years in a row, so we know they have lots of good players who can play good football.
“Fiorentina are an historic club in a nice city. I know from experience they have fantastic supporters because I spent some time there when Claudio Ranieri was the coach. And we have experience of Hungarian football because of our relationship with MTK, so if Debreceni have won their league then we know it means it’s because they’re a good side.
“The important thing as always is that the travelling isn’t too bad, we don’t have too far to go for any of the games. We’re just looking forward to starting the competition now.”
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