Liverpool reality emerges as Champions League maths becomes clear

The immediate task is a trip to Marseille on Wednesday night, followed by Qarabag visiting Anfield a week later.

One point from those fixtures guarantees a finish between ninth and 24th, which would see us contest a two-legged play-off in February.

However, the table shows something more intriguing.

We remain firmly in contention for a top-eight finish, which would allow us to bypass that extra round entirely and advance straight into the last 16.

That context adds weight to Jamie Carragher’s recent comments about Slot’s European priorities, where he suggested our head coach views continental success as the logical next step after delivering the Premier League title in his first season.

The former defender also highlighted how the Dutchman admires teams capable of controlling games at Champions League level, a theme reflected in the summer recruitment of Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong.

Those ideas feel particularly relevant as we prepare to face a Marseille side sitting 16th on nine points.

Why Liverpool still control their European destiny

The numbers underline just how fine the margins are.

A single win could realistically propel us into the top eight, while dropped points would push us towards a congested play-off route.

Two months ago, Opta’s data-led prediction model had us finishing eighth with around 15.4 points, a projection that now looks remarkably accurate given our current position.

That analysis also suggested all six Premier League clubs would finish inside the top 12, reinforcing the competitiveness of this new league-phase format.

Progress is in our hands, and the maths is now clear.