While Liverpool’s struggles in the Premier League this season might leave them facing an uphill battle to qualify for next year’s Champions League, they are least qualified for this season’s knockout stages after recovering well from an open 4-1 defeat away at Napoli.
Bouncing back to win all five of their remaining group games, the Reds face the prospect of a round-of-16 clash with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, FC Porto or Benfica in Monday’s draw as they look to extend their European exploits and collect more of the financial rewards on offer.
Yet it’s a different story for one of their recent foes in the competition - Atletico Madrid. Diego Simeone’s side infamously knocked Jurgen Klopp ’s men out of the tournament in the R16 back in 2020, though Liverpool would get revenge of sorts in 2021/22 as they beat the Spaniards both home and away in the group-stages.
