The revised format has largely taken the jeopardy out of the opening exchanges, rendering potentially 100 or more matches effectively pointless. Liverpool probably needs one win in the next six matches to ensure at least a playoff spot, while Manchester City, Arsenal and Real Madrid will not have any genuine concerns yet despite making less-than-perfect starts.
No doubt we'll be hailing the success of the league phase on the final matchday, when there will be some genuine excitement as the lower-ranked teams scrap for a place in the top 24. There will be some slightly more manufactured drama over the automatically-qualifying top eight — with the "losers" getting two more lucrative Champions League games along with a high likelihood of still progressing to the knockouts.
But like it or not, this is still the Champions League, the most prestigious competition in club football. If Liverpool can simplify its path to claiming the top prize, it will undoubtedly be trying to do so, and that means finishing as high up the table as possible (quite how you can rank teams in a table when everybody is playing different opponents is a whole other article, but there we have it).
So how do Liverpool's upcoming games compare to its main rivals for the trophy? First, we'll quickly define who we mean.
Real Madrid can never be overlooked for this competition. Its pedigree is completely unmatched — and by adding Kylian Mbappe to an already-elite squad, it has become an even more daunting proposition.
But beyond the Spanish giant, the favorites must come from the Premier League, the richest and best league in the world. As such, Liverpool will once again be competing with Manchester City and Arsenal.
So far, Liverpool has probably had two of its "easier" games, after a pretty tough draw. Things take a step up in the next five encounters: the Reds will visit RB Leipzig, before hosting Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid in successive match-ups. After that, there's a trip to Girona, and then a match at Anfield against Lille (who just upset Real Madrid).
Manchester City drew at home with Inter Milan in its opening match, but returned to its usual winning ways with a 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava. After its next three matches, it is likely to be home and hosed: Sparta Praha (h), Sporting (a) and Feyenoord (h) are unlikely to provide the most strenuous of tests. But if Pep Guardiola's men do drop any points, then tough trips to Juventus and PSG could prove tense.
As for Arsenal, it just recorded a statement win over PSG, having drawn with Atalanta in its first match. It will also expect to cement a qualification spot over the next few games — it faces
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