Your morning digest for Saturday, August 28
Liverpool's UEFA Champions League fixture dates confirmed as Reds start at home
Liverpool have been rewarded for their hard-fought battle to qualify for the Champions League last season with an opening game against AC Milan at Anfield.
The two sides have only met twice before, both in Champions League finals, but Jurgen Klopp’s side will kick-start their group stage campaign with the glamour tie next month.
Back-to-back away trips to Porto and Atletico Madrid are to follow, with the Reds enjoying two more home ties, before concluding matchday six with the return fixture in Milan at the San Siro.
READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp makes 'disappointing' Ibrahima Konate admission and offers Liverpool transfer update
"I laughed, to be honest, pretty loud because it is a tough group obviously”, the Liverpool boss said after the draw was made.
"It's Champions League, so that's how it is, and you have to play the best teams in Europe, and obviously some of them are in our group!
"We played, I don't know how often, already against Porto, so they will be waiting for us. We have obviously a little bit of [an] open bill with Atletico, and AC Milan, a historical one obviously. So, I think our supporters should be looking forward to it – we do, for sure.”
Read the full story here.
Cristiano Ronaldo return to Manchester United leaves Liverpool fans divided
As Cristiano Ronaldo completed his shock return to Manchester United, there was a divide among the Liverpool fanbase.
There were sections of Reds fans who believed that, in signing the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, the Manchester club had got the goalscorer that could launch them into the title frame.
However, there were others who believed that the 36-year-old re-joining the club would make them overly-reliant on an aging forward, while distracting from other areas of the pitch that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs to improve.
The debate surrounding Ronaldo comes in the context of Liverpool opting to strengthen from within their own ranks this summer, with solitary new arrival Ibrahima Konate and the ever-improving Harvey Elliott helping to bolster Jurgen Klopp’s squad.
Read the full story here.
