Liverpool face Real, Bayern nightmare
LONDON – The Champions League knockout round picture has become slightly clearer over the last two nights.
English representatives Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool can go into matchday six next week safe in the knowledge they will be in the competition after Christmas.
Chelsea and City are also assured of topping their group and, therefore, will be seeded in the draw on November 7.
Tottenham, meanwhile, were a disallowed goal away from beating Sporting Lisbon and booking their last-16 spot, much to the fury of
Antonio Conte.
Bayern Munich also know they’re through as group winners, while Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund know they’ll be finishing second and will, therefore, be unseeded in the last-16 draw.
Other confirmed qualifiers are Napoli, Club Brugge, Porto, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica but we don’t yet know whether they’ll finish first or second.
That uncertainty makes it a little difficult for those qualified clubs to imagine who they might be facing in the knockouts - but it’s clear topping your group does eliminate the prospect of running headlong into a heavyweight club.
Many, of course, have already crashed out, with Barcelona, Juventus, Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and Ajax likely to be playing Europa League football in the new year.
Sportsmail takes a closer look at who each of the four English clubs could draw in the last-16 and who they’ll want to avoid.
So assuming Jurgen Klopp’s side do finish second, the potential last16 opponents they’ll definitely want to avoid are Real Madrid, who beat them in last season’s final, and Bayern Munich, who have been in rampant form.
The Reds would also want to swerve Paris Saint-Germain, as well, who could yet top Group H ahead of Benfica.