The Premier League leaders, led by Mohamed Salah, have won their six opening games of the UCL, putting them on the brink of qualification.
Liverpool have had a sensational 2024/25 season so far under Arne Slot, who has guided the Reds to the top of the Premier League and on the brink of direct qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League.
The Merseysiders will take on Lille at Anfield on Tuesday (21 January) and are expected to officially clinch their place in the last 16. There are three ways they can do that.
Which teams qualify for the round of 16 of the Champions League?
Before we explore further, remember that the top eight teams in the league stage qualify directly for the round of 16, which will be played in the first two weeks of March.
The remaining eight teams will be decided in the knockout stage of the play-offs, which pits teams that finished between ninth and 24th in the league stage against each other. The two-legged play-offs will be held in the second and third weeks of February.
Liverpool's six straight wins at the start of the league stage mean that Liverpool are best positioned to become the first team to achieve a place in the top eight and qualify directly for the last sixteen. This is how they can do it.
What Liverpool need to qualify for the UCL round of 16
A win against Lille at Anfield will see them finish in the top two, not just the top eight. Only Barcelona can overtake them, although that is only if they beat Benfica in Lisbon on Tuesday.
Also a draw against the French opponents will be enough to secure a place in the top eight. That would take them to 19 points, which only seven other clubs can match if they win their two remaining games in the league stage.
Liverpool could even qualify directly for the round of 16 if they lost, although they would need a potentially improbable run of results to go in their favor.
As it stands, 11 teams can still match or better their current score of 18 points. Barça could overtake them on matchday eight anyway, so they would need four of the next ten teams (Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Inter Milan, Brest, Lille, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid). and AC Milan) to drop points on matchday seven to qualify this week.
All in all, one point from the remaining two games at home against Lille and away against PSV Eindhoven (Wednesday, January 29) will seal the deal.
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