Liverpool's final Champions League League Phase game predicted to discover Round of 16 opponents
Liverpool have the chance to end the Champions League League Phase with eight wins from eight games when they face PSV later today.
Goals from Mohamed Salah and Harvey Elliott secured a 2-1 win over Lille in Liverpool's last Champions League outing, continuing the Reds' winning run in Europe this season. The Reds sit first in the League Phase table with 21 points, with Barcelona the only side who can catch Arne Slot's side.
One point will secure top spot for Liverpool later today, but fans will be keeping an eye on other results to try and figure out who the Reds could face in the Round of 16. Joe Gomez returned to training ahead of the trip to the Netherlands, with Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones the only absentees.
So, can Liverpool end the Champions League League Phase with a perfect record? Let's take a look...
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PSV vs Liverpool score predicted
To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that the Dutch side could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Benitez; Ledezma, Obispo, Boscalgi, Junior; Schouten, Veerman; Bakayoko, Til, Lang; De Jong.
We predict that Liverpool could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Kelleher; Bradley, Quansah, Endo, Tsimikas; Nyoni, Morton; Chiesa, Elliott, Gakpo; Nunez.
Liverpool started strongly in the Netherlands, with Federico Chiesa testing the 'keeper early doors with a powerful strike from the right, but Walter Benitez got down low to push the shot wide of goal at his near post. The Reds were causing most of the problems for PSV down the right, and 16 minutes in, Slot's side went ahead.
A one-two between Chiesa and Conor Bradley saw the defender speed away from his marker and gallop into space down the right. His cutback to Elliott was cleverly flicked into the path of Darwin Nunez, and an emphatic finish from the Uruguayan found the top corner to make it 1-0.
PSV started to gain control of the game as the half went on, and the hosts levelled the score just before half-time when Johan Bakayoko breezed past Kostas Tsimikas before firing through the legs of Caomihin Kelleher. A tightly-contested second half saw both sides create a handful of chances, but the Reds eventually found a winner in the 74th minute when Elliott sent Jayden Danns one-on-one with the 'keeper, and the striker showed great composure to go around Benitez and slot into an empty net.
EA FC 25 predicted final score: PSV 1-2 Liverpool
We simulated every other result from the final Champions League League Phase gameweek to predict how the final table would look, and who Liverpool could face in their Round of 16 clash. These were the results:
Inter 2-0 Monaco
Bayern Munich 5-1 Slovan Bratislava
Sturm Graz 2-0 RB Leipzig
Borrusia Dortmund 1-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Barcelona 3-2 Atalanta
Brest 1-3 Real Madrid
Girona 0-2 Arsenal
Bayer Leverkusen 5-2 Sparta Prague
Stuttgart 2-2 Paris Saint-Germain
Juventus 1-0 Benfica
Man City 3-1 Club Brugge
Dinamo Zagreb 1-1 Milan
Lille 2-1 Feyenoord
Sporting 0-0 Bologna
Young Boys 1-1 Crvena Zvezda
Aston Villa 3-1 Celtic
RB Salzburg 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Based on these results, Liverpool finished top of the Champions League table, with first or second in the League Phase facing either 15th, 16th, 17th or 18th in the Round of 16. This means the Reds would face either Monaco, Feyenoord, Brest or Celtic if the results above were accurate.