Three points against Sevilla at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Tuesday, November 21, and Liverpool will progress to the Champions League round of 16. Easier said than done. Liverpool will come up against a quality team in the form of Sevilla, who are a strong side at home.
It would take something special from Liverpool to beat Sevilla on their home turf. Both Liverpool and Sevilla were expected to make it to the knockout stages after they learned about their Champions' League group, where they are the two big teams.
As of now, they are the top two teams, with Liverpool one point ahead of the Spanish club. FC Spartak Moscow are also in contention for the round of 16 berth.
This match is of prime importance to Sevilla as well. If Liverpool win and Spartak Moscow beat Maribor on Tuesday, it could alter the landscape of the entire group. In that case, Liverpool will qualify, but Spartak Moscow will pip Sevilla to second place and make matters really interesting.
Hence, Liverpool and Sevilla will be more than determined to play brilliant football, and get into the next stage of the Champions League. So, there is no room for error or any kind of experiments when it comes to team combinations too. Both the teams will have to put their best players on the pitch.
Liverpool might not make many changes but goalkeeper Loris Karius is expected to make another Champions League appearance. The attacking line of Liverpool, comprising Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, which has been in good form, will look to trouble Sevilla. With Philippe Coutinho also in the mix, this Liverpool outfit have goals written all over them.
However, their problem has always been their defence. Though Liverpool have just conceded a single goal in their last four matches, this match against Sevilla will help one understand if they have improved at the back.
With quality players like Nolito, the home team will make Liverpool pay if they provide easy chances to the Spanish side. Steven N'Zonzi will be another key player for Sevilla.
Sevilla come into this match with a closely-fought victory over Celta Vigo. They also held Liverpool to a 2-2 draw in their last encounter. Even if we look at their recent history, Sevilla have been better, as the Spanish side beat Jurgen Klopp's men in 2016 too.
Sevilla will be keen to maintain this positive record of theirs of late against Liverpool, but they will be missing some of their players including Daniel Carrico and Nicolas Pareja due to injuries.
It remains to be seen how the home team approaches the game. Sevilla need to be careful even if they play possession based football with high-press.
Liverpool with their speedy players like Salah and the rest are always a threat. Sevilla did not cope well against Liverpool's pace in the last encounter, and one hopes Sevilla's manager Eduardo Berizzo might have made plans to tackle with Liverpool's nippy stars.
Where to watch live
Sevilla versus Liverpool clash is scheduled for 8:45 pm CET, 1:15 am IST, 3:45 pm ET.
Here is the TV and live streaming options
TV Listings and live streaming
India: TV: Sony Ten 2. Live streaming: Sony Liv.
Spain: Movistar+, Bein Sports
UK: TV: BT Sport 2. Live Streaming: Watch BT Sport.
USA: TV: Fox Soccer Plus.
Middle East: TV: beIN Sports. Live streaming: beIN Sports connect.
