How Liverpool can top UEFA Champions League table ahead of LOSC Lille clash
Yesterday at 08:00 AM
Liverpool face LOSC Lille tonight in their penultimate UEFA Champions League league phase match with a chance to qualify for the round of 16.
Arne Slot’s side remain the only team left at this stage in the competition with a 100% record, with the Reds facing Lille later today at Anfield before ending the first stage of their Champions League campaign this season next week away to Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven.
With Lille manager Bruno Genesio lauding Liverpool as the best team in the world, it already seems all but guaranteed that the Reds will claim a top-eight finish in the Champions League table and progress to the next round of the competition immediately.
Yet Liverpool also this week have the chance to become the first side ever to top the new Champions League format.
How Liverpool can clinch the top spot in the Champions League table vs Lille
Liverpool sit three points clear at the top of the Champions League table with 18 points with FC Barcelona sat in second in the standings with 15 points. Six teams make up the rest of the top-eight with 13 points each, including Premier League rivals Arsenal and Aston Villa plus tonight’s opponents Lille.
With two games left to play, teams with 12 points or more have a shot at overtaking Liverpool if they were to win their remaining fixtures coupled with the Reds losing their final matches against Lille and PSV, though top spot still remains in the Anfield side’s hands.
| Position | Team | Games played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | +12 | 18 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 7 | +14 | 15 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 13 |
| 4 | Bayer Leverkusen | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 13 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 13 |
| 6 | Inter Milan | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 13 |
| 7 | Brest | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 13 |
| 8 | LOSC Lille | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 13 |
| 9 | Borussia Dortmund | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 9 | +9 | 12 |
| 10 | Bayern Munich | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 8 | +9 | 12 |
| 11 | Atletico Madrid | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 12 |
| 12 | AC Milan | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 12 |
A point tonight will qualify Liverpool for the top eight, whilst a win would mean only Barcelona can catch the Reds heading into next week’s final round of games with Hansi Flick’s side tonight taking on Portuguese giants Benfica in Lisbon.
As a result, a win tonight against Lille coupled with Barcelona drawing or losing away to Benfica will guarantee the top spot for Liverpool in the Champions League standings, a feat that Slot will be eager to achieve in his first year in charge of the Merseyside giants.
Why do Liverpool need to top the Champions League league phase table?
It does matter where Liverpool finish the Champions League league phase table. Beyond the Reds avoiding a two-legged play-off if they finish in the top eight places, the Anfield club will also likely avoid one of the bigger teams in any round of 16 tie owing to the tournament tree.
By finishing the league phase top of the table or in second place, Liverpool will go on to play the winner of the play-off between the teams who finish it in 17/18th and 15th/16th. But if Liverpool were to drop into seventh or eighth, they could then draw the ninth-place finisher.
| League phase | R16 tie | R16 opponent | Possible QF |
| 1/2 | #1 | 17/18 or 15/16 | Winner of R16 #2 |
| 7/8 | #2 | 23/24 or 9/10 | Winner of R16 #1 |
| 5/6 | #3 | 21/22 or 11/12 | Winner of R16 #4 |
| 3/4 | #4 | 19/20 or 13/14 | Winner of R16 #3 |
| 4/3 | #5 | 20/19 or 14/13 | Winner of R16 #6 |
| 6/5 | #6 | 22/11 or 12/11 | Winner of R16 #5 |
| 8/7 | #7 | 24/23 or 10/9 | Winner of R16 #8 |
| 2/1 | #8 | 18/17 or 16/15 | Winner of R16 #7 |
Ahead of Liverpool's league phase tie with Lille, their likely opponents in the round of 16 are Benfica, Monaco, Sporting and Feyenoord. But Juventus, Real Madrid and Manchester City are also possible opponents depending on their final two results over the league phase.
In the event that Liverpool were to fall out of the top eight positions, finishing higher in the league phase would prove beneficial with the squads who finish ninth to 16th the 'seeded' play-off team and awarded the second leg of their Champions League tie as a home match.
What is Arne Slot’s Liverpool game plan for tonight vs Lille?
After a big Premier League win against Brentford on the weekend coupled with Arsenal dropping points against Villa, spirits are high in the Liverpool camp heading into tonight’s big Champions League game against Lille.
And Slot is expected to field a strong Liverpool side against Lille in this evening’s clash at Anfield with the Dutch coach likely to keep things the same from Saturday’s win against Brentford, where the Reds had nearly 40 shots against the Bees in west London.
With Slot also challenging Darwin Nunez to remain consistent after his big performance on the weekend, Liverpool’s players will be up for tonight’s tie against Lille, especially with the prospect of clinching top spot in the Champions League standings now on the line.
