Liverpool don’t return to Champions League motion till subsequent month, however their potential pathway by the knockout phases has turn into a bit clearer over the previous 24 hours.
Whereas the Reds managed to keep away from the knockout play-off spherical by advantage of ending third within the league part, 16 different golf equipment are negotiating that tough hurdle this week and subsequent, with 4 of the eight first-leg matches performed on Tuesday.
Arne Slot and co would’ve been paying specific consideration to the assembly of Galatasaray and Juventus, with the winners of that tie having a 50% likelihood of dealing with the Premier League champions within the spherical of 16 (together with both Atletico Madrid or Membership Brugge).
Even with the second leg nonetheless to come back, it already appears extremely seemingly that Liverpool might be handed a second Champions League journey to Istanbul this season, following a rollercoaster chain of occasions at Rams Park yesterday night.
Galatasaray have multiple foot in Champions League final 16
Galatasaray struck first by Gabriel Sara earlier than a Teun Koopmeiners double nudged Juventus in entrance by half-time. Noa Lang equalised shortly after the interval, after which got here a significant plot twist.
Davinson Sanchez accomplished the newest tunaround on the hour mark earlier than Juan Cabal was despatched off for the Bianconeri, and that proved to be a game-changing second as the house facet rammed in two extra targets courtesy of Lang and Sacha Boey, finishing an emphatic 5-2 victory (BBC Sport).
Might Liverpool be handed Champions League revenge mission?
Liverpool followers know higher than anybody {that a} three-goal deficit may be overcome within the second leg of a Champions League knockout tie, but it surely’d require a outstanding plot twist subsequent week for Juventus to advance to the spherical of 16.
A primary aggressive assembly towards the Serie A giants since 2005 now appears extremely unlikely for the Reds, whereas a second go to to Rams Park in six months has turn into more and more believable.
If that’s certainly the draw that we’re handed on the finish of February, Slot’s workforce will go to Istanbul on a revenge mission after our 1-0 defeat to Okan Buruk’s facet within the league part earlier this season.
Liverpool may even be conserving an in depth watch on the Atletico-Membership Brugge tie over the approaching days, with that pairing throwing up one other potential reunion with a earlier opponent from this marketing campaign – we defeated Diego Simeone’s males 3-2 at Anfield again in September.
Whoever it’s that the Reds will face within the spherical of 16, the primary leg will mark a 3rd consecutive away fixture for us after a quickfire double header towards Wolves at Molineux within the Premier League and FA Cup within the first week of March.
By the tip of subsequent month, hopefully we are able to sit up for a primary Champions League quarter-final since 2022. It’d tackle even better significance if qualification through home means turns into much less seemingly by then.
