Liverpool can guarantee their place in the top-24 if they secure a result against Marseille in midweek.
The Reds have a historically decent record against the Ligue 1 outfit, though they have not faced off for many years.
In the current campaign, there has been talk around Arne Slot’s future due to the club’s continuous poor performances.
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Liverpool are on a 12-game unbeaten run, but a lot of those matches have seen narrow wins against weak opponents (Wolves and a nine-man Tottenham), as well as a number of underwhelming draws versus the likes of Burnley, Fulham and Leeds United (twice).
Score predictions for Liverpool’s trip to Marseille? 👇
The Reds are 2/2 at the Stade Vélodrome 👀
Florian Wirtz for Liverpool
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Liverpool one point away from Champions League play-off qualification
However, Slot and co. do not need to win on January 21 to guarantee themselves a cash boost.
After six Champions League games, Liverpool sit on four wins and two defeats, leaving them ninth in the table behind Atletico Madrid.
Just three points are separating the Reds and their upcoming opponents, who kicked off the midweek games 16th.
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However, 25th-place Benfica are on six points right now, meaning Liverpool only need to draw against Marseille to guarantee themselves a place in the knockout phase play-offs.
Of course, automatic qualification (top eight) would be the ideal scenario for the Merseyside outfit, but even a top-24 finish still earns them an extra cash boost.
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Liverpool registered an emphatic 4-0 win 💪
Liverpool vs Marseille
Liverpool vs Marseille 2007
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Champions League prize money Liverpool could earn
As per UEFA, any team that earns qualification for the knockout round play-offs will be given an additional €1m (around £871,000).
Meanwhile, drawing against Marseille is worth €700,000 (around £610,000), while three points this week would see the Reds take home a further €2.1m (around £1.8m).
With the race for the top eight still so close, Liverpool can’t guarantee their place in the last-16 on Wednesday.
After Marseille, they have one more league fixture to play against Qarabag FK on January 28, and will likely have to win both of their remaining matches and rely on other teams to drop points in the next week or so to make it into the automatic qualification spots.
If that happens, Liverpool will earn €11m (£9.58m) for qualifying for the round of 16.
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