The 2019/20 Champions League group stage kicks off in less than one week's time and Liverpool come into the competition as defending champions. 

Jurgen Klopp's side beat Premier League rivals Tottenham 2-0 in last season's final to take their sixth European crown. 

So, the fact that Liverpool currently hold the continent's biggest prize makes them the best team in Europe, right? Well, not according to UEFA's official rankings. 

On Monday, the governing body released their latest club coefficient standings and shockingly, the Reds are eighth. 

EIGHTH! After winning the Champions League! 

Before fans get too upset, it's important to note that these standings are judged on the last five years of European competitions. 

Liverpool failed to qualify for any tournament in the 2016/17 season after finishing eighth in the league a year before - meaning that no show has hindered their rank.

Check out the top 40 standings below and the full list here, which see Real Madrid hold on to top spot: 

As you can see, there are a few interesting teams in the top 10. 

There's little arguing that Madrid deserve to be up there, but it's hard to justify their neighbors Atletico being in second, considering they've never won the competition.

Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus rounding off the top five isn't too hard to justify. 

But, it's very odd that Manchester United and Arsenal take ninth and 10th place, despite failing to come close to winning the Champions League in the last five years.  

It's also interesting to note that Europa League winners Chelsea are way down in 14th. They have a similar issue to Liverpool, having failed to qualify for either competition in 2016/17.  

These UEFA rankings seem rather flawed, considering how much importance is put on previous seasons - especially now the Champions League winners are way down the rankings in eighth.