Liverpool have qualified for the Champions League round of 16 after a clinical win over Girona this week
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool prepares to take a penalty kick
Liverpool are on the brink of Champions League round of 16 qualification after beating Girona
Liverpool returned to action this midweek with a crucial victory over Spanish opponents Girona. Now the entire round of Champions League fixtures is complete, the Reds now know where they truly stand in terms of knockout qualification.
Arne Slot was not happy with the performance of his side, even if they got the business done in the end. The winning goal was struck from the penalty spot by Mohamed Salah after Luis Diaz was brought down under the challenge of Donny van de Beek.
The result continues Liverpool's 100 per cent record in the competition with Slot's side three points clear of Barcelona in second place and five clear of Arsenal in third place. After Wednesday's results the Reds know exactly what is required of them to ensure qualification for the next round.
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So with two games still to play in the league phase, the ECHO looks at the Reds state of play in Champions League...
Where are Liverpool in the league?
As the only team standing to have won all six of their European fixtures to date, Liverpool top the Champions League table.
Their place in the top eight and this season's knockouts is almost secure. The advantages of finishing in the top eight are that a team avoids having to play a two-legged play-off fixture in February.
The top-eight will get the second-leg home advantage in March's round of 16 and on paper the higher in the table they finish, seeding means they are less likely to meet their closest challengers from the league phase.
The lowest the Reds could drop in the competition is 12th place if they fail to win their last two games, but that would also need sides below them to win both of their remaining fixtures and overturn a substantial goal difference for some teams.
Who are Liverpool's rivals for first place?
Mathematically the rest of the current top eight could finish above Liverpool on points. They are Barcelona (2nd), Arsenal, (3rd), Bayer Leverkusen (4th), Aston Villa (5th), Inter Milan (6th), Brest (7th) and Lille (8th).
Three points below Liverpool's 18, Barcelona are the closest rival. In their final two fixtures they face Benfica (A) and Atalanta (H), and would need at least one win and a draw alongside two Reds losses to leapfrog them.
Hoping for the same outcome for the current leaders, the rest of the top eight are locked on 13 points together. They would need to win both of their games and hope Barcelona fail to win one of theirs.
Who is still to come for Liverpool?
The remaining matches for Liverpool in the Champions League are as follows:
January 21 vs Lille (H) at 8pm
January 29 vs PSV Eindhoven (A) at 8pm