Liverpool fans who decided to watch Premier League rivals Manchester City playing Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League were rewarded with a delightful "hate watch", as the phenomenon is now known — Pep Guardiola's men threw away a two-goal lead, and now face a challenge to even escape the league phase of the Champions League.

But City won't be banished just yet. In fact, enjoyable though it was, the result probably means both teams will creep through to the playoff round, potentially even setting up a nightmare scenario for Liverpool a little later down the line.

After concluding the league phase against PSV next week, Arne Slot will be able to put his feet up for a bit, as he continues to make the Jurgen Klopp succession look easy. Goals from Mohamed Salah and Harvey Elliott against Lille banked a top-eight finish, as well as a top-two seeding for when it returns to Champions League action.

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That, in theory, secures a more favorable draw when Liverpool re-enters at the Round of 16. But if PSG and Manchester City end up among the dregs of the qualifiers, the Reds could face them far earlier than hoped.

There is no country protection at the Round of 16 stage this season, but Liverpool will nonetheless at least avoid facing Manchester City quite that early. The defeat to PSG means Guardiola's side cannot even finish as high as 18th in the table, and Slot's men will be facing one of the teams that finished 15th, 16th, 17th or 18th.

On the other hand, PSG could still make those places. And should Manchester City make the playoffs in 23rd or 24th position, it could then face Liverpool in a potential quarter-final.

Regardless of the various permutations, Liverpool's preferred outcome is clear: Manchester City failing to qualify for the knockout stages at all. Even this much diminished version of the Etihad outfit still poses a major threat to any team on its day — and, crucially, early elimination would be funny.

Step forward a man to whom Klopp has previously declared he will "always be grateful". A man who has bucked the trend to enjoy a highly fruitful career after transferring away from Liverpool. A man who became the first goalkeeper since 1987 to be awarded the "Golden Shoe" in his league.

It is, of course, Simon Mignolet, who has enjoyed a handsome homecoming in Belgium. Claiming four league titles in five years, his Club Brugge side travels to the Etihad next week with a clear goal.

Even a draw would send Man City crashing out, to the delight of Liverpool supporters. But it would also book Club Brugge's place in the playoffs, so motivation is high.

Having recorded clean sheets against Juventus and Aston Villa already, Mignolet's confidence will be sky high too. That's something which was not always true at Liverpool — but Klopp still had some touching words for the Belgian when he departed in 2019, fresh off the back of the club's Champions League triumph.

"If you were to ask me to write a list of the most standout professionals I’ve worked with in the game – in a career of well over 30 years – Simon Mignolet would be competing for the number one spot," Klopp said at the time. "The respect he commands in our dressing room is unrivalled. An outstanding athlete, an outstanding person, and an international-class ‘keeper.

"Brugge are so lucky to have him. The shape he is in – the quality he has – he could play 10 years for this team if both want that. I will always be grateful for everything Simon has done for me and the staff while we have been here and I know his teammates will miss him also."

Halfway through that 10-year window and Klopp's prediction is looking highly prescient. Mignolet shows no signs of relinquishing his number one spot, and continues to perform at a level well beyond what you might expect of the Belgian Pro League.

Will he be able to repel Manchester City? He has more than enough incentive to do so even without an army of his old fans rooting for him, but he will certainly be able to rely on the support of the Liverpool faithful.