Liverpool may have booked their place in the Champions League quarter-final but things are only going to get harder for Arne Slot and his players
It was stressful at times, but Arne Slot’s side booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
A nightmare run of five games in 15 days awaits Liverpool after their Champions League victory over Galatasaray. The Reds recovered from their 1-0 away loss to the Turkish heavyweights in the first leg by blowing them away at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s team smashed their way into the quarter-finals by beating the Istanbul side 4-0. It was an emphatic display from Slot’s men, who went into the contest having lost twice to Okan Buruk’s side in this year’s competition.
On this occasion, the Reds simply had too much for them, levelling the tie through Dominik Szoboszlai’s crisp finish, before Mohamed Salah missed a penalty on the stroke of half time. The Egyptian was able to make up for his error by curling in Liverpool’s fourth, after Hugo Ekitike and Ryan Gravenberch both found the net.
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The Reds will have an opportunity for revenge in the quarter-finals as they will face Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain. Last year, Luis Enrique’s side overcame Slot’s team in a tense penalty shootout at Anfield, before going on to lift the big-eared European trophy for the first time.
Both matches against the French titans will be in the middle of an arduous run of fixtures. Between April 4th and April 19th, Liverpool will have to play five huge matches.
The run will begin with the FA Cup quarter-final battle against Manchester City on April 4th. This will then be swiftly followed by the first-leg clash against PSG in the French capital on the 7th.
Slot and Enrique will do battle in the Champions League knockout stages again(Image: 2025 Jean Catuffe)
After the first-leg it will be back to the race for the top four for the Reds as they will host Fulham on April 11th. Three days later, Slot’s team will be back at Anfield to host Enrique and co for the second leg, with a place in the last four of Europe’s elite competition on the line.
Liverpool have to play the second leg on the 14th as the 15th is the 37th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy. It means Liverpool will play both matches against the Parisians on a Tuesday.
The exclamation point of a humongous run of fixtures will be the small matter of the first ever Merseyside Derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium. It’s a run of matches which could have a defining impact on Liverpool.
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Victories in all will see the Reds reach the FA Cup and Champions League semi-finals, while defeats in the cup matches on top of negative results in the two Premier League fixtures could consign Liverpool to a trophy-less campaign, capped off by a potential failure to qualify for the Champions League.
However, Slot will not be looking too far ahead just yet as the Reds face Brighton and Hove Albion on the South Coast this weekend. It will be their final Premier League match before the March international break.
Victory could be pivotal for Liverpool’s hopes of finishing in the top four. While there was heavy disappointment at Anfield when Liverpool failed to beat Spurs, the point gained from the clash did see the Reds move into fifth, which may be enough to secure a place in next season’s Champions League.
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Liverpool have reached the UEFA Champions League round of 16 where they face Galatasaray on March 18. Fans can watch the game on the TNT Sports Prime Video channel.