Automatic Champions League progression will hand Liverpool bonuses and one nightmare scenario

Liverpool can afford to cautiously celebrate this week as they moved to within inches of a major achievement. Arne Slot's side is on the brink of ensuring automatic qualification for the Champions League knockout rounds, on the shortest route possible no less.

AC Milan, Bologna, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid. Arriving into the week they were the five teams Liverpool had beaten in European competition this term, now Girona have been added to that list by means of a 1-0 victory in Spain.

Mohamed Salah's second-half penalty made the difference, making sure the perfect record was maintained, maximum points were secured and the Reds' name remains firmly on course to be the first in the hat for the round of 16, rather than facing the play-offs.

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This is set to produce many benefits for Liverpool both in the short and long-term, though there may also be a tricky scenario that may yet come as a consequence. Here, the ECHO analyses the weight of the club's highly likely automatic qualification.

Less congestion

A brilliant bonus of making the league phase's top eight is not having to play two extra matches packed into an already busy calendar. Placement straight into the round of 16 means avoiding the play-off round, which is two-legged, with matches contested on February 11/12 and 18/19.

For Liverpool, already scheduled around those midweeks are a possible FA Cup fourth round tie (Feb 8), a Premier League home clash with Wolves (Feb 16) and most importantly the Premier League away visit to Manchester City (Feb 23).

As Man City face the very real prospect of qualifying through the Champions League play-off round, they might come into that meeting with heavy legs compared to the Reds' rested players.

Route to the final

As has always been the case in the Champions League, better performance in the earlier rounds would grant an easier pathway to the final, at least on paper.

In the inaugural campaign of this new European competition system, the league phase top-eight finish will guarantee that in the round of 16 Liverpool play a non-Premier League opponent that makes it through via the play-offs.

With Aston Villa, Arsenal and Man City all currently taking up spots between ninth and 14th before tonight, this would further reduce the pool of teams UEFA could place them against.

The draws for the knockout rounds will largely stay the same as they were conducted in the old format, so a route to the final should quickly become clear.

Financial incentive

Again, the better the performance in the earlier rounds means greater financial reward for the club.

As per UEFA, qualification for the round of 16 will bag the Reds €11m (£9.27m), rather than the €1m (£842,669) guaranteed to those reaching the play-offs.

Then there comes some almighty bonuses for making the most of the league phase. Firstly, victories in this stage are worth €2.1m (£1.77m) each, meaning the club have already won a total of €12.6m (£10.4m) and could end with €16.8m (£13.8m).

What's more, there is a bonus ranking system in place that will see further prize money dished out depending on finishing places in the table. It starts with the 36th-placed team winning a single 'share', worth €275k (£226.7m), the 35th-placed team winning two shares and so on, right through to the first-placed team who would win 36 shares.

With Liverpool on course to finish here, they could win another €9.9m (£8.1m). It would be this total at worst, as each match drawn in the league phase means more money will increase the value of the shares.

Nightmare scenario

For all the benefits, there is one possible situation to come from this that would threaten the good progress of Slot's men.

Coming back to the point of less fixture congestion and those February midweek dates remaining open as a result of not playing in the play-offs, there is the small matter of the Merseyside derby to resolve. Storm Darragh saw that clash at Goodison Park postponed last Saturday lunchtime therefore it needs to be rescheduled.

At the moment the next available midweek is on the week commencing January 6, however a possible Carabao Cup semi-final would take priority were the team to progress in that competition later this month.

The rest of the first month of the year is packed full, so it can't be played then. That leaves different February midweek dates free, including that one between the Wolves and Man City fixtures.

It would be far from ideal were Liverpool tasked with playing their Merseyside rivals at Goodison Park for the final time, under the lights, days before going to league title rivals Man City - a ground where they have not won since 2018.