Liverpool endured a disappointing evening away to Galatasaray, but results elsewhere in the Champions League may have made things even worse

The Champions League results of Liverpool’s fellow Premier League colleagues have dealt a huge blow to Arne Slot’s side. The Reds lost the first-leg of their round of 16 clash to Galatasaray 1-0.

It was the same result as their clash in September, when Victor Osimhen scored the only goal of the game from the spot. Liverpool will have an opportunity to right some wrongs from the first-leg when they host the Turkish heavyweights at Anfield on Wednesday March 18.

An already crucial clash has had an extra layer of importance be added to it. Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea all lost to Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain respectively, while Newcastle United and Arsenal drew 1-1 with Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen.

If the English sides exit the competition at this stage, it will have a huge impact on the UEFA co-efficient ranking, which decides what division is allocated an extra Champions League place. Right now, England is top of the rankings and are on course to be given another place in Europe’s elite competition.

This would mean a fifth placed finish in the Premier League would be enough to qualify for next season’s Champions League. However, if all six representatives of the division exit in the round of 16, Italy and Spain could be in a position to overtake England.

Slot and his players will still believe they can win the Champions League, despite an overall inconsistent campaign. However, if they cannot lift the big-eared European trophy, the race for the top four will be the only opportunity to book their place in next year’s competition.

Liverpool are sixth in a tight race for the top four with only three points separating them from third placed Manchester United. Chelsea and Aston Villa are also marginally ahead of the Reds.

The failures of other Premier League sides in Europe has put even more pressure on Liverpool’s domestic form. Slot will only be focussed on his own team next week, but he will likely have an eye on other Premier League sides.

The Dutchman does at least have plenty of belief they can turn the tie around at Anfield. He said: “I don’t think they had a lot of chances in the second half. They have good players and good teams will always create chances. They scored five goals against Juventus so that tells you what they are capable of.

“We have had very good chances, one on ones against the goalkeeper and unfortunately we couldn’t score. I have to give to how they defended. They keep on fighting and put themselves in front of the ball.

“What I do know is now it’s half-time. We have lost here twice 1-0 and the good thing is the next game isn’t played here, it’s played at Anfield and our fans can create a similar atmosphere.

“I don’t think it’s possible so many things can go against us as they have the last two games (against Galatasaray). Things will be more normal in the home game. And I also think we can improve over performance and that with the help of our fans has to lead to a good game next week.”