Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool welcome Qarabag to Anfield tonight knowing victory will secure automatic qualification to the UEFA Champions League last 16 and spare them the ordeal of February’s two-legged play-offs. The equation is straightforward: three points guarantee a top-eight finish and safe passage into the knockout stages, avoiding the unwanted extra fixtures that would further stretch an already depleted squad.
Arne Slot’s side head into the fixture in contrasting form across competitions. While domestic woes have seen the Reds go five Premier League games without victory – culminating in Saturday’s agonising 3-2 stoppage-time defeat at Bournemouth – their European campaign has delivered consistency.
Qarabag, meanwhile, have been the surprise package of the league phase. The Azerbaijani champions have collected 10 points from seven games – including memorable wins over Benfica, Copenhagen and Eintracht Frankfurt, plus a 2-2 draw at Chelsea. They arrive at Anfield fighting for a play-off berth themselves and will take enormous confidence from their ability to trouble elite opposition.
Liverpool’s preparations have been hampered by a deepening injury crisis in defence that has forced the club into emergency squad alterations. With Ibrahima Konate absent following the recent passing of his father, Joe Gomez ruled out with a hamstring problem sustained against Bournemouth, and Giovanni Leoni sidelined for the season with an ACL tear, Slot faces a centre-back shortage.
Virgil van Dijk is the only recognised senior centre-back available for selection. Slot confirmed on Monday that he will be forced to deploy a midfielder, most likely Wataru Endo, alongside the Dutch captain in tonight’s back four. “It’s certain that tomorrow, apart from Virgil, we will have someone who is not a centre-back in that position—most likely a midfielder,” Slot admitted.
In response to the shortage, Liverpool have added academy defender Amara Nallo to their Champions League squad ahead of tonight’s fixture via UEFA’s List B regulations. List B allows clubs to register an unlimited number of players born on or after January 1, 2004, provided they have been eligible to play for the club for an uninterrupted two-year period since their 15th birthday. Unlike List A—which has strict numerical and homegrown quotas—List B can be altered before each match, offering crucial flexibility during injury crises.
The 19-year-old centre-back has endured a nightmarish introduction to senior football, earning the unwanted distinction of becoming the first Liverpool player ever to receive red cards in consecutive first-team appearances.
His debut lasted just four minutes after coming off the bench against PSV Eindhoven in January 2025 before being dismissed for a reckless challenge. Nallo’s second outing—a Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Crystal Palace in October—saw him sent off again after just 12 minutes.
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