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After a three-week break, the Champions League returns on Tuesday, with Liverpool keeping a keen eye on those involved.
However, Arne Slot’s side will not be among the 16 teams participating in the two-legged clashes over the next eight days, with Liverpool bypassing the play-off rounds entirely. In the league phase of the competition, the top eight clubs automatically progressed to the last-16 and will face home ties when their Champions League campaigns begin again next month.
That cohort of elite clubs includes Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon and Manchester City. The likes of Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain all missed out.
Those clubs that finished between ninth and 24th will participate in the play-offs, with the eight winners then progressing to the last-16.
The Reds already know they will face one of four opponents in the next round: Galatasaray. Juventus, Club Brugge or Atletico Madrid.
Galatasaray hosts Juventus on Tuesday, before Brugge faces Atletico the following night. The reverse fixtures are set to be played next week, and the other play-off ties include: Borussia Dortmund vs Atalanta, Monaco vs PSG, Benfica vs Real Madrid, Qarabag vs Newcastle United, Olympiakos vs Bayer Leverkusen and Bodo/Glimt vs Inter.
After those games, the draw for the last-16 of the competition will be made on Friday, 27 February. Liverpool will also then learn which clubs it could potentially face in the quarter-finals, semi-final and final.
The last-16 games will be played 10/11 and 17/18 March.
Liverpool was eliminated by PSG at this stage last season, with the Parisians progressing on penalties after the second leg at Anfield.
Slot will hope to avoid a similar scenario this season, and will no doubt keep a watchful eye on the play-off games.
The Reds have already played two of their potential last-16 opponents in this season’s Champions League league phase. Liverpool beat Atletico in September, but lost 1-0 to Galatasaray later that month.
It last faced Juve in 2005 en route to winning the tournament, while the Reds have not played Brugge since the 1978 European Cup final.
Atletico would likely be viewed as the toughest draw given the side’s recent Champions League history, but it has struggled this season and currently sits 15 points behind La Liga leaders Real.
Juve trails first-placed Inter by the same margin in Serie A, while Brugge is third in the Belgian Pro League. Galatasaray is the only domestic league leader of the quartet.
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