Liverpool’s 2025-26 campaign has come down to whether or not they can secure a place in next season’s Champions League.
The Reds will officially go without a trophy in year two under Arne Slot, a fate that was confirmed after bowing out of the Champions League to PSG this week in a damning 4-0 defeat on aggregate. It came before a former Liverpool midfielder suddenly retired after getting an offer to be a manager instead.
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With the Premier League title well out of reach, Slot’s side will turn its focus to finishing in the top five, which would confirm their place in next season’s Champions League. Whether or not Slot is still the manager by then remains to be seen.
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Entering Gameweek 33, Liverpool sit fifth in the table, holding a four-point cushion over Chelsea in sixth, and are strong favorites (-300) to secure a top-five finish by season’s end.
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The Reds have finished fifth or higher in every campaign since 2015–16, with all but one of those seasons ending in a top-four spot.
While Liverpool do have the worst odds of any team currently situated in the top five, which also includes Manchester United (-1600) and Aston Villa (-1200), oddsmakers consider them a strong shot to at least hold their position.
It was not a foregone conclusion that the Premier League would be granted five spots instead of four in next season’s Champions League.
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Hugo Ekitike will miss the rest of the season after suffering a serious injury against PSG -Credit:2026 Alex Livesey – Danehouse
It was only after Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Sporting in the UCL quarterfinals that UEFA confirmed England would finish in the top two of the coefficient table alongside Spain and be given an extra spot.
Despite what the odds say, it won’t come easy for Liverpool with five of their six remaining Premier League fixtures coming against teams currently in the top eight of the league table.
First, Slot’s side will make its first trip to Hill Dickinson Stadium to face Everton, currently eighth in the league table and five points off Liverpool, in the Merseyside Derby on Sunday.
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From there, the Reds face a gauntlet of a fixture list, including Crystal Palace (home), Manchester United (away), Chelsea (home), Aston Villa (away), and Brentford (home) to round out the campaign.
Liverpool will be without top scorer Hugo Ekitike for the remainder of the season after the French striker suffered a torn Achilles in the second leg against PSG, so Alexander Isak will be relied upon to lead the line and justify his $170 million transfer fee.
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