Liverpool's chances of securing an automatic spot in the Champions League knockout stages are dwindling.
The Reds' 4-1 loss to Dutch team PSV Eindhoven at Anfield on Wednesday further highlighted their poor form. Arne Slot's players have now suffered nine defeats in their last 12 matches across all competitions. This leaves Liverpool trailing significantly in the race for a direct path to the latter stages of the Champions League.
Currently, the Reds hold the 13th position in the group stage standings - with only the top eight advancing directly to the competition's last-16. While there is still time for Liverpool to change its fortunes, with three group matches remaining against Inter Milan, Marseille and Qarabag, it's predicted that the Merseyside club will fall short.
Opta suggests that Liverpool is most likely to finish 11th at the end of the league stage, which would mean facing a playoff to reach the round of 16.
This could potentially lead to a daunting match-up with teams such as Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham, Newcastle, Galatasaray, Juventus, and Napoli, who are also expected to drop into the playoffs.
This is a stark contrast to last season, when Liverpool topped the Champions League group stage with seven victories from eight matches. Slot maintained that securing a spot in the knockout rounds was more important than winning the league stage.
Slot is under pressure at Anfield
Slot is under pressure at Anfield (Image: Getty Images)
Speaking last season, Slot said: "If in tennis you are the No. 1 seed, it is better to face the No. 24 than the 12, but it is a ranking based on years.
"Now we are in a new format when some teams are high in the league table because they had a lucky draw, and some teams are low because they have a very difficult draw.
"It is far off to say it is an advantage to be one or two. You might be lucky, you might be very unlucky. For me, it doesn't tell me anything. The most important thing is we managed to skip a round."
Another significant contrast between Liverpool's performances this campaign and the previous one lies in their defensive resilience. The Reds shipped just five goals during the league phase last season, recording five clean sheets in the process.
This time around, they have already conceded eight goals, though they did manage to keep Real Madrid at bay.
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has suggested that the team's backline is to blame for its struggles.
He said: "No it's not [acceptable], they're conceding too many goals, they're wide open, they're vulnerable and unstable.
"Anfield tells a story, the seats are empty, PSV were excellent, comfortable here tonight and deserve the victory. Liverpool's problems become deeper, pressure intensifies even more, and there needs to be soul searching for sure."