Trent Alexander-Arnold on course for Liverpool meeting as Champions League path becomes clearer

Liverpool has learned more about its path to the Champions League final this season, with another meeting with Trent Alexander-Arnold potentially lying in wait for the Reds

Trent Alexander-Arnold could make a return to Liverpool in the Champions League knockout stages(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool is another step closer to discovering its path to the Champions League final after the final round of play-offs were completed on Wednesday.

The Reds will find out their opponent in the last-16 when the draw takes place on Friday, with the rest of the competition also set to be mapped out at the same time.

Arne Slot’s side will face one of two sides in the next round, having avoided going through the play-offs after finishing in the top eight of the league phase. The Champions League is about to get even tougher from here though as Europe’s elite battle it out for the continent’s top prize.

Liverpool now knows it will face one of Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray in the last-16, with the latter having confirmed its spot despite a 3-2 defeat after extra time in Turin against Juventus, having won last week’s first leg 5-2 in Turkey.

The Reds have already faced both sides this season, having kicked off their Champions League campaign with a dramatic 3-2 win over Atletico at Anfield, before suffering a 1-0 defeat in Istanbul during the league phase.

Having finished third in the opening stage of the competition though, they will be among the favorites to go all the way to the final in Budapest in May - should they make it there, they could encounter a familiar face along the way.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid also confirmed their place in the last-16 after beating Benfica 3-1 on aggregate, with a 2-1 win at the Bernabeu completing the job.

Liverpool’s former vice-captain could now be on course for another trip to Anfield this season, having already tasted defeat there during the league phase.

Should the Reds be placed on the same side of the draw as Los Blancos on Friday, the two sides could end up meeting in the semi-finals.

Trent Alexander-Arnold could face Liverpool again in this season's Champions League(Image: Getty Images)

Elsewhere, Atalanta managed to overturn a 2-0 deficit from its first leg against Borussia Dortmund to secure a spot in the last-16, with Lazar Samardzic’s stoppage-time penalty securing a 4-1 win and sending the Italian side through 4-3 on aggregate, with a dramatic finish seeing three red cards issued, including one for Liverpool-linked Nico Schlotterbeck.

Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain is also through after a 2-2 draw completed a 5-4 aggregate win over Monaco. Luis Enrique’s side could be a potential quarter-final opponent for Liverpool, with the French champions set to face one of Chelsea or Barcelona in the last-16.