What Liverpool need to win Champions League table plus talkSPORT commentary and team news for early Girona clash

Liverpool are on the brink of securing qualification for the Champions League round of 16 when they face Girona, live on talkSPORT. The Reds will push to keep their perfect European run going with a sixth straight win to maintain their spot at the top of the table. Liverpool are flying in all competitionsRex Arne Slot‘s side are the only club in the expanded 36-team format to reach the 15-point mark after their opening five matches. Liverpool have already beaten Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen and Champions League holders Real Madrid this season. What do Liverpool need to qualify? Victories in their final three Champions League games will ensure the Merseysiders cannot be overhauled at the top of the table. However, Liverpool can guarantee qualification for the last-16 by triumphing over Girona – if other results on Tuesday fall their way. The top eight sides are automatically through to the knockout stages in the new format, with ninth to 24th thrust into a play-off round. Seven teams are currently tied on 10 points, which includes from sixth place Bayer Leverkusen to French outfit Lille in 12th. Some of these sides either play each other or the rest of the top five, which are Barcelona (12), Borussia Dortmund (12) and Atalanta (11). This means that if Liverpool beat Girona they will be on an almost unassailable 18 points and all-but sealed their spot in the round of 16. Their qualification would be assured with a solitary point from their final two games, which eliminates any worry of goal difference. Liverpool can even mathematically secure their spot this week with a win over Girona, in the unlikely scenario that eight out of the 11 teams between sixth to 16th fail to get all three points. The Reds have proved the team to beat in EuropeGetty This will be the first meeting between Girona and Liverpool in European competition. Girona have never faced an English side before, while they will be the 13th different Spanish side that the Reds have faced in Europe. Spanish teams are winless in their last seven games against English opponents in the UEFA Champions League (D3 L4), since Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Chelsea in April 2023. Indeed, that was also the last time a Spanish side managed to stop an English opponent from scoring. Liverpool have only won two of their last 10 away matches against Spanish sides in European competition (D1 L7), although those two victories have come on their three most recent trips (L1), beating Atlético de Madrid in October 2021 and Villarreal in May 2022 (both 3-2 wins). What are the benefits of finishing first? Qualifying inside the top eight will skip any playoff round as mentioned, with the finishing positions still having relevance. First to eighth will determine a team’s seeding for the last 16, which in theory will give higher-up teams an easier path in the knockouts. All eight teams will face one of the victors from a play-off tie, with the added benefit of having a second leg in the round of 16 at home. However, there is no extra gain from being drawn against a play-off winner, which may see Liverpool involved in a blockbuster encounter. Atletico, AC Milan, Manchester City are currently 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th – with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain 24th and 25th. Liverpool boss Slot faced this exact question in his pre-match press conference on the significance of finishing top of the table. Mac Allister scored Liverpool’s opener against Real MadridGetty He replied: “It is so difficult to say anything about this. I have said it many times, but at the end of the season you can judge it in the best possible way – if it’s helpful to end up in the top eight, if it’s helpful to end up as No.1. “Of course, it seems to be really helpful to end up first eight, but if every time you play your starters, which we have done until now almost every time, then you also need the results. “We try to do this to, first of all, be in the highest possible position but also to skip the next round. If in the end, it means by playing your starters always, skipping that round and still having a very difficult draw then we maybe are going to think about it differently next season, what we are going to do in the group stage. “That is something we have to wait and see in the end of the season, where this will lead us. First of all, we want to stay in the top eight and therefore we think we need a win – and the first chance we have is tomorrow night.” Liverpool have won each of their last 10 games in the group/league phase of the UEFA Champions League, scoring 28 goals and only conceding three. The last team to beat them in the competition outside of the knockout rounds was Napoli back in September 2022 (4-1). Liverpool are the only team with a 100% record in the UEFA Champions League this season, winning all five of their games so far. Arne Slot’s winning run is already the longest by a

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What Liverpool need to win Champions League table plus talkSPORT commentary and team news for early Girona clash

Liverpool are on the brink of securing qualification for the Champions League round of 16 when they face Girona, live on talkSPORT.

The Reds will push to keep their perfect European run going with a sixth straight win to maintain their spot at the top of the table.

Liverpool are flying in all competitions

Arne Slot‘s side are the only club in the expanded 36-team format to reach the 15-point mark after their opening five matches.

Liverpool have already beaten Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen and Champions League holders Real Madrid this season.

What do Liverpool need to qualify?

Victories in their final three Champions League games will ensure the Merseysiders cannot be overhauled at the top of the table.

However, Liverpool can guarantee qualification for the last-16 by triumphing over Girona – if other results on Tuesday fall their way.

The top eight sides are automatically through to the knockout stages in the new format, with ninth to 24th thrust into a play-off round.

Seven teams are currently tied on 10 points, which includes from sixth place Bayer Leverkusen to French outfit Lille in 12th.

Some of these sides either play each other or the rest of the top five, which are Barcelona (12), Borussia Dortmund (12) and Atalanta (11).

This means that if Liverpool beat Girona they will be on an almost unassailable 18 points and all-but sealed their spot in the round of 16.

Their qualification would be assured with a solitary point from their final two games, which eliminates any worry of goal difference.

Liverpool can even mathematically secure their spot this week with a win over Girona, in the unlikely scenario that eight out of the 11 teams between sixth to 16th fail to get all three points.

The Reds have proved the team to beat in Europe

This will be the first meeting between Girona and Liverpool in European competition. Girona have never faced an English side before, while they will be the 13th different Spanish side that the Reds have faced in Europe.
Spanish teams are winless in their last seven games against English opponents in the UEFA Champions League (D3 L4), since Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Chelsea in April 2023. Indeed, that was also the last time a Spanish side managed to stop an English opponent from scoring.
Liverpool have only won two of their last 10 away matches against Spanish sides in European competition (D1 L7), although those two victories have come on their three most recent trips (L1), beating Atlético de Madrid in October 2021 and Villarreal in May 2022 (both 3-2 wins).

What are the benefits of finishing first?

Qualifying inside the top eight will skip any playoff round as mentioned, with the finishing positions still having relevance.

First to eighth will determine a team’s seeding for the last 16, which in theory will give higher-up teams an easier path in the knockouts.

All eight teams will face one of the victors from a play-off tie, with the added benefit of having a second leg in the round of 16 at home.

However, there is no extra gain from being drawn against a play-off winner, which may see Liverpool involved in a blockbuster encounter.

Atletico, AC Milan, Manchester City are currently 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th – with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain 24th and 25th.

Liverpool boss Slot faced this exact question in his pre-match press conference on the significance of finishing top of the table.

Mac Allister scored Liverpool’s opener against Real Madrid

He replied: “It is so difficult to say anything about this. I have said it many times, but at the end of the season you can judge it in the best possible way – if it’s helpful to end up in the top eight, if it’s helpful to end up as No.1.

“Of course, it seems to be really helpful to end up first eight, but if every time you play your starters, which we have done until now almost every time, then you also need the results.

“We try to do this to, first of all, be in the highest possible position but also to skip the next round. If in the end, it means by playing your starters always, skipping that round and still having a very difficult draw then we maybe are going to think about it differently next season, what we are going to do in the group stage.

“That is something we have to wait and see in the end of the season, where this will lead us. First of all, we want to stay in the top eight and therefore we think we need a win – and the first chance we have is tomorrow night.”

Liverpool have won each of their last 10 games in the group/league phase of the UEFA Champions League, scoring 28 goals and only conceding three. The last team to beat them in the competition outside of the knockout rounds was Napoli back in September 2022 (4-1).
Liverpool are the only team with a 100% record in the UEFA Champions League this season, winning all five of their games so far. Arne Slot’s winning run is already the longest by a manager from the start of a spell with an English club in the competition (5).
In open play, only Shakhtar Donetsk (1.32) have progressed the ball upfield slower Girona (1.36) on average in the UEFA Champions League this season. However, they’ve only scored one goal following their 10+ pass sequences in open play this term (71 in total).

Girona vs Liverpool: Team news

Girona XI: Gazzaniga, Frances, Juanpe, Krejci, Blind, Romeu, Van de Beek, Gutierrez, Asprilla, Gil, Danjuma.

Subs: P. Lopez, Martinez, D. Lopez, Solis, Martin, Stuani, Ruiz, Portu.

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Jones, Salah, Diaz, Nunez.

Subs: Jaros, Kelleher, Quansah, Endo, McConnell, Norris, Elliott, Gakpo.

Alisson has been missing since the start of October but he starts tonight

Mohamed Salah has assisted four goals in five UEFA Champions League appearances for Liverpool this term, already his joint-most in a single edition. Only in the 2017-18 season has a Liverpool player made more than four assists in a Champions League campaign (8 by James Milner and 7 by Roberto Firmino).
Liverpool have scored six goals from crosses in the UEFA Champions League this season, with half of their total in the competition coming that way (50% – 6/12). Indeed, their six goals following crosses are at least twice as many as any other side in 2024-25 (four teams on three).
Girona centre forwards Bojan Miovski and Cristhian Stuani are still looking for their first goals in the UEFA Champions League this season, despite attempting 14 shots between them (7 each) and combining for 3.2 expected goals from those attempts.