Liverpool have confirmed their place in the round of 16 in the Champions League by landing a top-eight place in the league phase, but the potential draw ahead of them left Jamie Carragher annoyed
Luke Thrower Trends Writer
09:16, 29 Jan 2026
Jamie Carragher was left fuming with Liverpool’s potential draw in the Champions League round of 16(Image: Jamie Carragher, grab from CBS Sports Golazo – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb8NWFftpPA)
Former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher was left fuming when he discovered the Reds’ potential opponents in the Champions League round of 16, blasting the new format in the process. It came as Arne Slot’s side secured their place in the top eight of the league phase with a convincing 6-0 win over Qarabag.
An Alexis Mac Allister brace was joined by goals from Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike, and Federico Chiesa, completing a demolition job at Anfield. It kept Liverpool’s fate in the competition in their hands, as they avoided the drama of dropping in and out of the places that guaranteed passage to the round of 16.
In the end, Slot’s side finished the league phase in third, behind only Arsenal and Bayern Munich, picking up 18 points from their eight games.
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The manager will be hoping for some more luck than he got last year, when his side finished top and drew PSG in the early rounds.
This time, it seems as though it may not be as tough as facing the potential European champions, but it won’t be all that easy for Liverpool either.
They will face one of Galatasaray, Club Brugge, Atletico Madrid, or Juventus in the round of 16, with the former two and the latter two set to face off.
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Friday’s draw will determine which side of the bracket Liverpool will be on, and will narrow that selection from four potential opponents to just two.
After that discovery, Carragher was left enraged with the format, throwing his pen and asking how his former side could possibly finish in third and have such a tough potential draw.
Speaking on CBS Sports, he said: “I’ve just seen who Liverpool’s potential opponents are… honest to god. This new format, I’ve had enough of it [throws pen].
Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike after the pair combined to score Liverpool’s second goal in their 6-0 Champions League win at home to Qarabag (Image: Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
“We finished top last year and we got Paris Saint-Germain, we finish third this year and get, listen to this, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, or Juventus… and we finished third.”
Micah Richards appeared to push Carragher’s buttons when he said: “But, you’re the mighty Liverpool.”
“I know, but what you’re saying is,” Carragher continued. “If you’re finishing third, you can’t have them, you can’t have Atletico Madrid in there. Juventus.”
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The former defender then went on to suggest that rivals Manchester City would have an easy draw, claiming the side get “lucky” with draws in the cups, but that was soon dismissed when it was revealed they would face one of Benfica, Bodo/Glimt, Inter Milan, or Real Madrid.
Carragher quickly changed his tune on the format, laughing and stating: “I’ll take that.”
It doesn’t dismiss the criticism of the format, however, given how tough that eventual draw could be for Liverpool when all is revealed on Friday.