Liverpool 'better than anybody else' in Europa League but should be wary of 'big hitters' - Michael Owen

Liverpool should be wary of “big hitters” AC Milan and Roma in the UEFA Europa League draw, says TNT Sports expert Michael Owen, but the Reds are still “better than anybody else in this tournament.”

Jurgen Klopp’s side qualified automatically for the last 16 after topping their group, and discovered their potential opponents when Thursday’s play-off ties were completed.

Liverpool are one of four British sides to be seeded for Friday’s draw, alongside West Ham, Brighton and Rangers.

Their list of potential opponents is as follows: Roma, Marseille, Sparta Prague, Sporting Lisbon, AC Milan, Qarabag, Benfica and Freiburg.

Speaking on TNT Sports’ European coverage on Thursday, Owen considered how Liverpool will approach the draw.

“You look at that right column and there are some real famous teams in there: Roma, Milan, teams like that. You probably want to avoid them,” Owen said.

“There are a fair few good teams in it. It’s always been a difficult competition to win.

“I do look at it and think Liverpool are better than anybody else in this tournament.

“They’ve rested a lot of players in this competition, but if they take it really seriously, I think they can win this. But there are a lot of big hitters there if they don’t who would knock them out.”

Journalist Rory Smith agreed that Klopp will need to tread carefully with his squad selection for the next European ties.

Liverpool are still fighting on four fronts, with the League Cup final against Chelsea coming up on Sunday as well as their Europa League and FA Cup campaigns and a knife-edge Premier League title race.

While Klopp was able to use the group stage as a chance to tinker with his team, the knockouts might not be so forgiving, according to Smith.

“I think if you end up getting Benfica, you probably can’t afford to put out a really inexperienced team in the Europa League,” Smith said.

“I don’t think there’s anyone left in the competition that Liverpool would look at and think ‘that’s a game that a weakened side should win’. He’ll have to go relatively strong.

“Jurgen Klopp generally takes cup competitions quite seriously and rotates in the group stages, as you’d expect. It’s a tricky one for Liverpool, given the injury problems.”

Liverpool face Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday to decide the first piece of major domestic silverware of the season in the League Cup final.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media