Who will Liverpool face next in Champions League? Last-16 and play-off draw details confirmed

Liverpool thrashed Qarabag 6-0 to finish third in the Champions League League Phase, securing automatic qualification for the Round of 16 where they'll face one of Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Juventus or Atletico Madrid in March

Mohamed Salah extended Liverpool's lead over Qarabag early in the second half. (Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Liverpool secured their place in the Champions League Round of 16 following a dominant 6-0 victory over Qarabag at Anfield. Yet progression to the quarter-finals remains uncertain, with potential challenging encounters against Juventus or Atletico Madrid on the horizon.

The Reds successfully navigated tough opposition to finish third in the League Phase, securing an automatic spot in the knockout rounds amongst the top eight. This means Liverpool will sidestep a two-legged playoff in February, which would have complicated an already packed schedule featuring clashes with Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion.

Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring, guiding home a header following an inventive free-kick routine from the Reds. The Argentine required goalline technology to confirm his goal after the visiting defenders appeared to have cleared the ball off the line.

Florian Wirtz's maiden Champions League goal for the club was far more straightforward as the German slotted home. The summer signing maintains his excellent form, growing in confidence after facing intense scrutiny following his move from Bayer Leverkusen.

Mohamed Salah returned to the scoresheet, extending the lead to three shortly after the restart. Dominik Szoboszlai played creator, cleverly backheeling a free-kick to the Egyptian, following his similar contribution on Saturday.

Hugo Ekitike netted the fourth goal on the hour mark, capping off a clinical counter-attack. The Frenchman reacted quickest to a Virgil van Dijk clearance before slotting home confidently in a one-on-one situation.

Just four minutes later, Mac Allister grabbed his second of the evening, rounding the Polish goalkeeper to tuck away a fifth, and in stoppage time, Federico Chiesa added a sixth.

Consequently, Liverpool will face one of Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Juventus or Atletico Madrid in the last-16 during March.

Having secured a top-eight finish, Liverpool and seven other sides will be automatically seeded into the Round of 16 draw, with matches scheduled for March. The Reds exited the competition at that stage last season, falling to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain.

PSG had to navigate their route to their maiden European triumph the difficult way, facing fellow Ligue 1 outfit Brest in the first knockout round before cruising through the subsequent stages.

Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike impressed in Liverpool's Champions League victory over Qarabag

Arsenal and Bayern Munich had already confirmed their Round of 16 qualification ahead of Wednesday's fixtures, whilst Liverpool simply needed to avoid defeat to seal their spot, having already progressed to the knockouts following last week's 3-0 victory over Marseille. Whilst the Reds secured their spot in March's last-16 draw with ease, a fierce contest unfolded for the top eight positions, whilst at the opposite end, European sides battled to clinch playoff qualification through the back door.

Clubs finishing between ninth and 16th earn seeded status in the playoff stages, whereas those placing 17th to 24th remain unseeded. The playoff draw follows a straightforward format: 15th and 16th face unseeded opponents 17th and 18th, respectively.

Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona and Chelsea accompanied Liverpool in the top eight. In a dramatic conclusion to the group phase, record champions Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain dropped into the playoff positions, meaning they must navigate a two-legged knockout tie to progress to the Round of 16.