Ajax knows the opponents in the group stage of the new Champions League season. The only representative from the Eredivisie was linked to Liverpool, Atalanta and FC Midtjylland during the draw in Geneva in Group D on Thursday.

Ajax was assigned to Pot 2 and therefore avoided Barcelona, ​​Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea, all of which were placed in the same pot. The classification of the pots is based on the coefficient ranking. Pot 1 consists of the Champions League and Europa League winners, plus the six champions from the top six leagues.

With Liverpool, Ajax was linked to a strong opponent from Pot 1. The Reds reached the final of the Champions League twice in a row in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons and the latter final battle was also won against Tottenham Hotspur. Last season, the involvement of Atlético Madrid in the eighth finals already ended the adventure of Jürgen Klopp and his men.

As an opponent from Pot 3, Atalanta came out of the quiver. The Italians were one of the big surprises of the Champions League season last season by pushing through to the quarterfinals with their first participation in the tournament. The later finalist Paris Saint-Germain turned out to be just too strong for this la Dea. Atalanta has continued where it left off last year with a 2-4 win over Torino and a 1-4 win over Lazio in the current Serie A season.

With Champions League debutant Midtjylland from Pot 4, Ajax, Liverpool and Atalanta will have to deal with the reigning national champion of Denmark. The team of trainer Brian Prinske had to deal with Ludogorets, Young Boys and Slavia Prague in the preliminary rounds to reach the main tournament. The decisive game was played on Wednesday-evening: after a 0-0 draw in Prague, Midtjylland was 4-1 too strong for Slavia after first at home.

The first round in the group stage of the new Champions League season will be played on Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 October. The last round is scheduled for Tuesday December 8 and Wednesday December 9. The exact playing dates of Ajax will be announced by UEFA on Friday evening. Last season, the team from Amsterdam finished third in a group with Valencia, Chelsea and Lille OSC.