Liverpool will face Galatasaray in the last-16 of the Champions League and have their path to the final ahead of them
The Liverpool FC card ahead of the 2025/26 knockout stages draw
Liverpool have been handed their route to the 2025/26 Champions League final(Image: Kristian Skeie - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
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Liverpool’s path to the Champions League final has been confirmed after the draw was made on Friday. The Reds had booked their place in the knockout phase of the competition thanks to finishing in third place in the league phase standings.
It has been confirmed that Liverpool will face Galatasaray in the last-16 of the Champions League, with the away leg taking place on either March 10 or 11 in Istanbul.
Arne Slot’s side will then host the Turkish club in the second leg at Anfield a week later on March 17 or 18, where Liverpool will be hoping to clinch a spot in the quarter-final.
While it’s not been confirmed which team Liverpool could face in the quarter-final, the Reds will know it will be between two clubs.
Should Liverpool defeat Galatasaray, they would face either Paris Saint-Germain or Chelsea in the quarter-final of the competition, with the ties pencilled in for April.
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Despite winning the tournament last year, where they defeated Liverpool along the way in the last-16 stage, PSG needed to beat Monaco in the play-off round earlier this week to book a spot in the knockout stages of the competition this term.
Chelsea finished sixth in the league phase of the Champions League, avoiding the play-off round thanks to finishing in the top eight, just like Liverpool.
If Liverpool were to defeat Galatasaray and then either PSG or Chelsea, it would set up a potential semi-final against another Premier League rival.
Either Manchester City, Real Madrid, Atalanta or Bayern Munich await Liverpool in the semi-final of the competition, if the Reds get that far.
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City and Real will go head-to-head in their last-16 tie, where the winner will face either Atalanta or Bayern Munich.
Atalanta booked a spot in the last-16 thanks to a dramatic victory over Borussia Dortmund in their play-off tie.
A last-minute penalty from Lazar Samardzic saw the Serie A outfit claim a 4-1 win over Dortmund on the night, which was enough to secure a 4-3 victory on aggregate.
On the other side of the draw, Liverpool now cannot face either Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Sporting CP, Bodo/Glimt or Bayer Leverkusen until the final.
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