Ideal Champions League draw for Liverpool fans and the chance to progress
SOME things are just meant to be. And Liverpool's next European destination was just written in the stars.
In the night sky above Valencia airport in the early hours of yesterday morning to be precise, and from the unlikeliest of sources.
A fanatical, globetrotting Belgian Liverpool supporter - staggering through the departure lounge and clearly not long parted from his bed, or indeed his last beer of what had clearly been a long day out in the city following Wednesday's friendly with Villarreal.
But before making his way, via Eindhoven, to Glasgow for today's friendly, he left behind a parting gift for his Merseyside match-going companions as they waited to board for JLA.
A badge bearing a simple message: 'Keep Belgium Scouse'.
And just hours later came confirmation that it certainly will be next week as the draw for the third qualifying round spookily followed that instruction to the letter.
Liverpool open their Champions League campaign away to Standard Liege before the second leg at Anfield a fortnight later.
Bleary-eyed the supporter may have been as he made his way on to a 6am flight - but there was nothing wrong with his foresight.
However, if omens were going to be at work, few would have been surprised to see them drawn against Atletico Madrid, one of the most threatening prospects of the unseeded teams in the draw in Nyon, Switzerland.
This would have set up a reunion for Fernando Torres with the club he left Liverpool for when he made his record-breaking transfer in the summer of 2007.
But it would also have been a tie that would have seriously jeopardised the chances of Rafael Benitez's side making the group stages.
Germans Schalke 04 are the team who have to negotiate that hurdle. Liverpool's shouldn't be as difficult to clear.
Liege ended a 25-year wait for a domestic title by becoming champions of Belgium last season.
But they have no Champions League pedigree and are a young side that should not provide a serious obstacle to seasoned campaigners like Liverpool.
The only time the two clubs have met in European competition was in the second round of the 1965-66 European Cup Winners Cup, a tie which Liverpool won 5-2 on aggregate.
The last time Liverpool played in Belgium was in October 2005 in the Champions League group stages when a Djibril Cisse goal saw off Anderlecht.
Another aspect of the draw that had an air of inevitability about it was that FC Twente would be paired with an English club.
And sure enough, their new manager Steve McLaren will return to the country he miserably failed to get to Euro 2008 when his side faces Arsenal.
As for today's friendly opponents Rangers, they still have a tricky second leg against FBK Kaunas to survive after only managing a 0-0 draw at Ibrox in their second qualifying round first leg this week.
If they beat the Lithuanian champions on their own turf they will play either Danish club Aalborg or Bosnians Modrica.
Other eye-catching ties see Fiorentina take on Sparta Prague, while another one of the top unseeded sides, Galatasaray, face Romanains Steaua Bucharast.
So on balance, quite a kind draw for Liverpool.
And one particular supporter will be absolutely delighted with it. He might be missing a badge but at least he gets to cut down considerably on his air miles.
THIRD qualifying round draw: Anorthosis/Rapid Vienna v Olympiakos; Vitoria; Guimaraes v IFK Gothenburg/Basel; Shakhtar Donetsk v Domzale/Dinamo Zagreb; Schalke 04 v Atletico Madrid; Aalborg/Modrica v Rangers/Kaunas; Barcelona v Beitar Jerusalem/Wisla Krakow; Levski Sofia v Anderlecht/BATE; Standard Liege v LIVERPOOL; Inter Baku/Partizan v Fenerbahce/MTK Budapest; FC Twente v Arsenal; Spartak Moscow v Drogheda/Dinamo Kiev; Juventus v Tampere/Artmedia; SK Brann/Ventspils v Marseille; Fiorentina v Slavia Prague; Galatasaray v Steaua Bucharest; Panathinaikos/Dinamo Tbilisi v Sheriff Tiraspol/Sparta Prague. First legs to be played on August 12/13 , second legs on August 26/27.
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But before making his way, via Eindhoven, to Glasgow for today's friendly, he left behind a parting gift for his Merseyside match-going companions as they waited to board for JLA.That quiet a news.