Did Liverpool clinch a Champions League top eight place against Girona?

Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Real Madrid on matchday five of the Champions League continued their perfect start to the 2024/25 league phase and ensured they were the first team to be guaranteed to finish in the top 24 and therefore secure a place in the knock phase playoff.

The Premier League leaders will now expect to qualify for the round of 16 directly, which they could do on matchday six (Tuesday, December 10 and Wednesday, December 11), when they travel to Spain to face Girona.

Which teams qualify for the Champions League round of 16?

Remember, the top eight teams in the league phase qualify directly for the round of 16, which will be played in the first two weeks of March.

The other eight teams will be decided by the knockout phase playoffs, which will see teams who finished between ninth and 24th in the league phase go head to head. The two-legged playoff will be held in the second and third week in February.

As well as being the only team guaranteed at least a playoff, Liverpool are also the sole club who can secure qualification for the round of 16 on matchday six.

How can Liverpool qualify directly for the UCL round of 16 on matchday six?

Mohamed Salah scored the only goal from the penalty spot in a victory in Girona, which could be enough to ensure a top-eight finish and allow them to avoid the playoffs. However, they need a number of other results to go their way later on Tuesday and on Wednesday.

The Reds' win in Catalonia moves them onto 18 points (with two games still to play).

They must then hope Atalanta, currently on 11 points, lose to Real Madrid, which would prevent the Italians from getting more than 17 points after they have played their eighth and final league phase game.

And they would also require eight of the 11 teams who currently have either 10 or 11 points to fail to win on matchday six, which seems unlikely.

To clarify, eight of Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal, Monaco, Aston Villa, Sporting CP, Brest, Lille (all 10 points), Bayern Munich, Benfica, Atlético Madrid and AC Milan (all nine points) would have to slip up for Liverpool to be guaranteed a top-eight finish by the end of play on Wednesday.

If the teams mentioned above lose or draw this week, even winning their final two fixtures wouldn’t allow them to collect more than 15-17 points from their eight games.

What Liverpool need to guarantee a top-eight finish

Whatever happens, The Reds know five points from their remaining three league phase games (they also host Lille on January 21 and travel to PSV Eindhoven on January 29) will guarantee a top-eight finish, although they will hope to have it wrapped up long before their trip to the Netherlands.

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