Liverpool and Barcelona risk losing automatic qualification for the Champions League round of 16

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Liverpool and Barcelona left it late to secure automatic qualification for the Champions League round of 16.

With just two rounds remaining, reigning champions England and Spain currently find themselves outside the top eight who will automatically advance.

Announcement

The teams ranked from 9th to 24th place enter the playoffs to access the round of 16.

Liverpool won the league stage last year but then faced the daunting task of facing eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16. Arne Slot’s team is going differently this time and may have to make the playoffs to advance.

Liverpool are away to Marseille on Wednesday and could be boosted by Mohamed Salah’s return from the Africa Cup of Nations. He left to represent his country last month after a public row with Slot raised doubts about his future.

Salah was unhappy with the lack of game time and expressed his views in an explosive interview. He returns to Liverpool at a time when the Merseyside club needs more firepower following the injury of record signing Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, who has only recently returned to action.

Announcement

Barcelona finished second to Liverpool during last year’s group stage and reached the semi-finals before losing to Inter Milan.

Now he tries to make up ground towards Slavia Prague.

New Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior takes charge of his first Champions League match for the club at home to Pafos.

Rosenior replaced Club World Cup-winning coach Enzo Maresca this month after taking Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg to the top of the Conference League’s third-tier table.

Bayern Munich, one of the favorites this season, hosts Union Saint-Gilloise.

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer