When could Liverpool meet Arsenal, Real Madrid, PSG, Man City – Reds’ UCL route analysed in full
Liverpool now know which teams they could potentially face in the Champions League knockout rounds, and at which stage of the competition.
A 6-0 demolition of Qarabag made it six wins out of eight in the league phase as the Reds finished third, ensuring direct entry to the round of 16 and also home advantage for the second leg in that tie and (should progress) the quarter-finals.
UEFA’s radically revamped format for the tournament has mapped out the prospective pathways for all 24 remaining clubs from the knockout play-off round next month all the way to the final in Budapest on 30 May, and the Reds can now start plotting their hypothetical route through the knockout stages.
Who could Liverpool meet in round of 16?
Arne Slot’s side will face one of Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray or Juventus in their next European assignment in March, with those four clubs involved in the knockout play-off round.
Jamie Carragher felt that Liverpool got a raw deal with those prospective opponents after finishing third in the league phase, although none seem as daunting as Paris Saint-Germain, who of course knocked us out in the round of 16 last term.
The Reds have already met two of the aforementioned quartet this season, having beaten Diego Simeone’s side at Anfield but lost to the Turkish champions in Istanbul.
Jamie finding out Liverpool's potential RO16 draw:
Jamie finding out Manchester City's potential RO16 draw: pic.twitter.com/yp3ZFpTYJ4
— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 28, 2026
Who could Liverpool meet if they reach the quarter-finals?
If Liverpool go one better than in 2024/25 and make it to the last eight of the Champions League this term, there are currently six prospestive opponents for them in the quarter-finals.
On the Reds’ side of the draw, Barcelona and Chelsea have already progressed to the round of 16, and a knockout tie against either of those would evoke memories of iconic nights at Anfield from previous years,
There’s also a plausible chance of meeting PSG once again, should the holders negotiate two more knockout rounds, and another potential all-English tie against Newcastle.
The other two teams Liverpool could come up against in the last eight, albeit with both being rank outsiders, are Monaco (who we last met in 2004) and the Qarabag side that we thrashed on Wednesday.
Who could Liverpool meet if they reach the semi-finals?
The Reds could face stern opposition on their side of the draw, but they’ve also avoided several big hitters on the other side who they wouldn’t meet until at least the semi-final stage.
The structure of the knockout brackets means that we wouldn’t come up against any of Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Real Madrid or Manchester City prior to the semi-finals. Also among that list are Sporting Lisbon, Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Olympiacos, Bayer Leverkusen, Bodo/Glimt and Benfica.
As of now, the only team who Liverpool definitely can’t meet in the Champions League before the final (should we make it that far) are Tottenham Hotspur, whose pathway through the knockout rounds is identical to ours.
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