Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has insisted that his team will not underestimate their Champions League group-stage opponents despite being handed a favourable draw on Thursday night.
Drawn into Group E, Liverpool will face Spartak Moscow, Sevilla and Maribor in the group stage of the competition.
The Reds could have been named in the same section as Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich, but despite the favourable draw on paper, Klopp has insisted that his team will not be taking the group lightly.
"The draw was exciting - to be part of it is obviously really special. We watched with a few of the lads together," Klopp told reporters. "There are groups with Barcelona, Bayern, Juventus and Real Madrid, and not to get them is of course more good than bad. But I don't think that after this long way we should think about the opponents. We have to go and prepare.
"With Sevilla, there is an open bill, I would say. But we all know how good they are in European competition. Moscow is a long trip. And Maribor, in this moment you don't know a lot about them; a lot of people would underestimate them, we will not.
"So we don't think about the opponent, we just think about the competition. We'll analyse and take everything seriously - we want to go as far as possible.
"But it's the Champions League, so that means they all earn our 100% respect, how we earn 100% respect from them. That's what we will show and hopefully we have a few really good games, which we 100% need."
Liverpool booked their spot in the group stage of the competition after recording a 6-3 aggregate win over Bundesliga side Hoffenheim in the playoff round.
Matt Law
