Liverpool look to secure a top-eight finish as they face Qarabag in a crucial final league-phase game in the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League.
Victory would guarantee a top-eight finish for Liverpool but a draw should ideally be enough due to their goal difference, although they would need results elsewhere to go in their favour.
Qarabag meanwhile can secure a seeded knockout play-off spot with a win but they’re nevertheless guaranteed a spot in the knockout stages.
Team News
Joe Gomez is ruled out for Liverpool due to a knock suffered in their 3-2 Premier League loss at Bournemouth.
Federico Chiesa is again a doubt due to a knock which saw him miss their last two matches.
Ibrahima Konate (personal), Alex Isak (leg), Conor Bradley (knee) and Giovanni Leoni (ACL) remain absent.
Qarabag have no fresh injury or suspension concerns to report coming into this match.
When is Kick-Off?
Liverpool host Qarabag at Anfield on Wednesday 28 January at 8pm GMT, live on TNT Sports 2 in the UK.
Stat Attack
- This is Liverpool’s first meeting against Qarabag in all UEFA competitions.
- Qarabag are making their first competitive visit to Liverpool at Anfield.
- Qarabag have lost all four previous visits to English-based opposition across all UEFA competitions (L4), although this is the first non London-based English club that they’re facing.
- Liverpool’s five league-phase goals at home this season have come from five different goalscorers (Andrew Robertson, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai).
- Two of Qarabag’s four away league-phase goals were scored by Leandro Andrade.
Prediction
With a chance to secure two additional midweeks off in February with a top-eight finish, Liverpool need to just put their domestic defeat at Bournemouth behind them and reset because this is a very winnable game if they turn up with the right attitude and cut out the sloppy defending which cost them against the Cherries.
Qarabag meanwhile have done incredibly well to be guaranteed a knockout play-off spot but given their poor record on English soil, this does feel like a huge ask yet they have played with little fear in the league phase so far despite their defensive fragilities.
Liverpool therefore will need to be wary of Qarabag’s attacking threats but I do expect them to find a way to win this on their home turf.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Qarabag
Result: Liverpool 6-0 Qarabag
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