Why Liverpool HAVE to finish TOP of Champions League table

Liverpool have been nothing short of magnificent on the pitch this season.

Be it leading the way in the Premier League, or dominating the new Champions League 'league phase', they have hardly blinked in their endeavour to succeed under Arne Slot.

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They are four points clear in the league, with a game in hand, and three points clear in Europe, having qualified for the last 16 quicker than anyone else.

On the face of it, this puts Slot in a really fortunate position and ordinarily, he could perhaps begin to start thinking of resting players during games which have less of an impact on his team's season.

Now guaranteed to be in the last 16 Liverpool's next two Champions League games must surely be futile. What more is there for him to gain by winning the next two?

Well, as it turns out in this newly formatted competition, every position in the 'league phase' table matters, and it could have a monumental effect on Liverpool's chances of taking home the trophy for a seventh time.

In addition, the prize money Liverpool receives from UEFA will also change if the Reds don't remain in their current position after the next two games. While the contract saga continues to loom over the club, extra revenue could prove pivotal to tying down the club's assets.

Liverpool's last 16 draw is seeded

In the previous group format, if you finished top of the group, then you would simply play against a team that finished second in a different group, but the draw would be done at random. This year, however, the draw will be more structured.

If you finish first or second in the 'league phase', then you will face either 15th/16th or 17th/18th in the last 16.

In what is known as the 'knock-out play-off' round, the teams that finish between ninth and 24th - subsequently missing automatic last 16 qualification - have to battle it out over a two-legged tie, in order to earn their place.

So, ninth plays 10th, 11th plays 12th, and so on. In which case, Liverpool will play one of two teams - 15th/16th or 17/18th in the last 16, should they finish top of the 'league phase'.

And this matters, because if Liverpool were to become slack with the remaining fixtures then they could end up with a substantially harder opponent in the next round.

For example, coming third or fourth would result in you facing 13th/14th or 19th/20th, which would seemingly be a harder tie for the Reds.

Also, by topping the 'league phase', you would face the possibility of playing against the team that finished seventh or eighth in the quarter-finals, whereas if you come third or fourth, then you face the possibility of playing the team that finished fifth or sixth in the following round.

Overall, this means that every game matters, because the specific position that you finish the opening 'league phase' will intrinsically make a difference to who you play and it's all been mapped out from the start.

Now, there will still be a round of 16 draw, because you have two possible opponents, which means that we will still need a bit of luck on our side.

However, whoever Liverpool draw, they will play the first leg of the knockout tie away from home, meaning that any possible opponent will have to bypass the cauldron that is Anfield on a Champions League night if they are to proceed.

Who could Liverpool possibly play in the last 16?

In order to guarantee their first-place finish in the 'league phase', Liverpool will need to take four points in their remaining two games against Lille and PSV.

The Reds currently have a three-point gap over Barcelona in second, and the Spanish giants have a slightly better goal difference, so a win and a draw will do it - although Slot will be eyeing up winning eight out of eight, because why not?

Conversely, two points from the next two games will guarantee a top-two finish.

This would mean they could face one of 15th, 16th, 17th or 18th, which currently is Benfica, Monaco, Sporting or Feyenoord.

Now, this is purely conjecture, because the last two games will indefinitely have an impact on drastically changing this table.

As such, a number of different teams who are underperforming in this year's Champions League could make it into these spots, such as Real Madrid and Manchester City, to pick a few.

This may feel unfair, given the stature of the clubs, but the facts are that their form simply hasn't been good enough, and there is no other way to structure the tournament.

Should Liverpool play a fixture against a team whose name appears daunting, you've just got to remember that they qualified in that position, because they weren't good enough over eight games. The odds are in Liverpool's favour.

For now, however, the Reds just need to secure the two points required from the last two games, and then we can sit back and watch the carnage of the 'knockout play-offs' unfold.

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