Liverpool need but a point away in Toulouse to secure qualification for the knockout rounds of the Europa League with two matches to spare.
The Reds have been flawless (points-wise) so far, beating LASK, Union Saint-Gilloise and Toulouse without much trouble.
The pre-tournament competition favourites now look bound for the next stage unless one of the biggest collapses in the history of European football occurs.
Jurgen Klopp and co can even guarantee their spot as group winners with victory on Thursday, if Union Saint-Gilloise fail to win their game.
So with eyes already on the next step on the road to Dublin, what comes next for Liverpool and who could they face?
HOW DO THE EUROPA LEAGUE KNOCKOUTS WORK?
Obviously the top two in each of the Europa League’s eight groups qualifies for the knockout stages. Standard.
However, unlike in the Champions League, there is an extra stage for the group runners-up to face.
After the Europa League group phase is completed, the eight second-placed teams play a preliminary knockout round in which they are paired against one of the third-placed dropouts from the Champions League. The winners then take a spot in the last 16.
Group winners, of course, are exempt from this round and are secure in their passage to the last 16.
Other than that, the competition follows the traditional format, with all ties taking place over two legs (home and away) until the single event final.
EUROPA LEAGUE KNOCKOUT ROUND SCHEDULE
Should Liverpool be confirmed as Group E winners when the stage is completed in December, they won’t have to play another Thursday night fixture until March when the round of 16 starts. Woohoo!
However, group runners-up face their playoff in February.
- Preliminary knockout round – 15-22 February 2024
- Last 16 – 7-14 March 2024
- Quarter-finals – 11-18 April 2024
- Semi-finals – 2-9 May 2024
- Final – 22 May 2024
The draw dates for he preliminary round will take place on 18 December, while the last 16 draw is scheduled for 23 February.
The remaining rounds will be drawn together on 15 March.
WHO COULD LIVERPOOL FACE IN THE KNOCKOUT ROUNDS?
Unsurprisingly, it’s hard to say who Liverpool are likely to come up against in the next phase of the competition as so much is still up in the air.
Prior to the fourth round of group stage fixtures, no team has mathematically secured their knockout spot yet, though some (like Liverpool) are on the verge of doing so.
Assuming Liverpool win their group and bypass the preliminary knockout round, the best case they can hope for is a favourable tie with relatively little travel time.
From the teams currently placed second in their Europa League groups, Austrian side Sturm Graz jumps out as one such possibility – though, of course, they would still need to finish second and then win their preliminary round before entering the draw to face the Reds next February.
In terms of teams to maybe hope to avoid, Lens (who beat Arsenal already this season) are currently third in their Champions League group, as are Galatasaray and AC Milan.
Teams from the same countries are not prohibited from playing in the knockout stages, meaning Liverpool could also find themselves drawn against Brighton, West Ham, Manchester United or Newcastle depending on final group standings and/or playoff results.
