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The final matchday of the UCL has Liverpool taking on Azerbaijani side Qarabag, with both teams having something to fight for.
Liverpool are in fourth place in the league, putting themselves in a great position to qualify automatically for the last-16. A win would make certain of their progression, and that would be the aim; however, the Reds lost in their most recent game against Bournemouth in the Premier League, which has dented their morale. They have won their last two UCL games at Inter Milan and Marseille, but they did lose their last home game in the competition 4-1 to PSV.
Qarabag will head to Anfield believing anything is possible. They are 18th in the table, meaning their progression is not certain. In the last gameweek, they dramatically beat Eintracht Frankfurt in injury time, earning their third UCL win. They are two points ahead of Napoli, who sit 25th, so results could help Qarabag qualify even if they lose, but you can see the underdogs going all out at Anfield, fighting for their lives.
Liverpool v Qarabag key information
• Date: Wednesday, January 28th
• Kick-off time: 20:00 GMT
• Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
• TV channels: TNT Sports (UK)
• Streaming: bet365 (UK)
• Odds: LIV (1/8) - DRAW (8/1) - QAR (20/1)
Liverpool team news
Liverpool may still be without Ibrahima Konate on Wednesday as the defender mourns the loss of his father last week. The Reds will also be without another defender as Joe Gomez had to be replaced against Bournemouth after he collided with goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Ryan Gravenberch moonlighted at centre-back after Gomez went off and is likely to do the same again here. With Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley being long-term injuries in the back line, Liverpool are light in defensive options.
Despite losing some players, Liverpool did welcome back Mohamed Salah last week, though the Egyptian has failed to impress on his return to the side. He will probably keep his place in the side, and one player who should most definitely feature is Florian Wirtz. The German haunted Qarabag in his Leverkusen days, scoring two and assisting three in four matches against them.
Liverpool predicted lineup v Qarabag, (4-2-2-2)
Coach: Arne Slot
Alisson; Robertson, Van Dijk, Gravenberch, Frimpong; Mac Allister, Jones; Wirtz, Szoboszlai; Gakpo, Salah.
Qarabag team news
Qarabag have no new injury concerns with their team, meaning they can select their best 11 when they travel to the North West of England. This will be the Horsemen’s 14th game in the tournament this season, having started their campaign back in the second round of qualifying.
Camilo Durán became the first Qarabag player to score multiple goals in a UCL match when he got a brace against Frankfurt, with Bahlul Mustafazada becoming the first Azerbajani player to score in the UCL.
Qarabag predicted lineup v Liverpool, (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Qurban Qurbanov
Kochalski; Matheus Silva, Mustafazada, Medina, Cafarquliyev; Pedro Bicalho, Jankovic; Leandro Andrade, Montiel, Zoubir; Duran.
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
This match between Liverpool and Qarabag will be shown live on TNT Sports. To watch, you will need a subscription to discovery +, which can be streamed on your smart TV, on the website or through the app.
Head-to-Head record
This will be the first time Liverpool and Qarabag meet in European competition. All three previous meetings between sides from England and Azerbaijan in the UEFA Champions League have been between Qarabag and Chelsea, who met this season with a draw in Baku.
Away from home, Qarabag have played four previous matches against English sides in all competitions, losing all four by an aggregate score of 13-1. This bodes well for Liverpool, who lost their previous European home game against PSV. However, across 117 home games in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, the Reds have only lost consecutive matches on one previous occasion.
Qarabag were on a five-game winning streak before the weekend, when they lost to Kapaz. Liverpool were on a 13-game unbeaten streak before they lost at the weekend to Bournemouth. With both coming fresh off a loss, a win would be the boost both sides need.
Odds for Liverpool v Qarabag
Liverpool are favourites at bet365, coming in at 1/8. A draw between the two is at 8/1, with a Qarabag win at 20/1.
Odds correct at time of writing, subject to change.