Liverpool have learned their opponents in the last 16 of the Champions League.
The Reds cruised to automatic progression into the knockouts of this year’s competition with a third-place finish in the league phase, clinching their position thanks to a commanding 6-0 win over Qarabag last time out.
A double from Alexis Mac Allister that day was added to by goals from Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa, as skipper Virgil van Dijk became the first central defender to register three assists in a single match in the competition’s history.
That was one of six wins from eight games for Arne Slot’s men in Europe so far this term, following victories over Atletico Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Marseille.
The Merseyside club lost just twice en route to the knockouts, meanwhile, falling away at Galatasaray on matchday two before being humbled at home by PSV Eindhoven.
Regardless, their overwhelmingly positive record thus far ensured they became one of five English sides - along with Tottenham, Manchester City, Chelsea and table-toppers Arsenal - to qualify for the last 16 without requiring a dreaded two-legged play-off. Newcastle later joined them.
Who Liverpool will face in Champions League last 16
Having finished third in the league phase of this year’s competition, Liverpool were destined to face one of the teams who placed 13th, 14th, 19th or 20th.
Namely, those teams were Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge and Galatasaray.
Galatasaray knocked out the Italian giants Juventus in a thrilling tie and will now play Liverpool again. Despite winning 5-2 in the first leg in Istanbul, they were taken to extra time in Turin.
Juventus produced a stunning fightback, even after seeing Lloyd Kelly sent off early in the second half of normal time. But Victor Osimhen and Burak Yilmaz settled a 7-5 aggregate win in extra time.
