It is still possible that Liverpool will be able to look back on 2025/26 in years to come and consider it an excellent season. The Reds finished third in the Champions League table and, as easily the most successful English side in the history of the competition, it is perfectly possible that they could go on to win it.
They are the sixth favourites to win the Champions League this season, with seven sides all priced at between 4/1 and 11/1. Winning the UCL would certainly make 2025/26 a good campaign. But if they don’t go all the way, current form suggests the Reds have what it takes to secure a top-five Premier League finish, which would probably be enough to guarantee they are back in the Champions League next term.
Finishing fifth and failing to win a trophy would not be a good season by the Reds’ very high standards. But it would be a whole lot better than finishing sixth (assuming fifth does indeed earn a spot in the CL next term). It is vital for both footballing and financial reasons that Arne Slot’s men qualify for the Champions League next season.
Leaving aside the complexities of UEFA’s coefficient system, as things currently stand, it seems very likely that England will again earn an extra spot in the Champions League for 2026/27. But can the Reds do enough to claim fifth (or higher)?
Champions League Battle Set to Go to the Wire
We will assume that fifth place will be enough for Liverpool, or any other side, this term. If that does prove to be the case, then the battle for the Champions League spots looks to be a case of “three from four”. To make another assumption, it is hard to see Arsenal or Manchester City failing to qualify for the UCL automatically. Man City are 11 points clear of Liverpool and Chelsea, with the Gunners a further five points ahead of Pep’s troops (having played a game more)
Current Table – Top 7
| Position | Team | Points | Games Played | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 61 | 28 | +35 |
| 2 | Man City | 56 | 27 | +31 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 51 | 27 | +10 |
| 4 | Man United | 48 | 27 | +11 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 45 | 27 | +17 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 45 | 27 | +10 |
| 7 | Brentford | 40 | 27 | +3 |
We have included all of the top seven sides here to back up our belief that this is going to be a case of four clubs fighting it out for three spots in UEFA’s most prestigious competition. The Gunners and City are well clear, while Brentford, in seventh, are having a sensational season but have too much work to do. It is plausible that one of the sides above them collapses, relatively speaking, in the final weeks of the campaign, but the Bees would need at least two teams above them to really fall away for them to have any hope.
So it seems highly likely that Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea and the Reds will slug it out over the last 11 games of the season. Three of that quartet should be playing Champions League football next term, and more than likely, one will not.
Liverpool Returning to Form at Right Time
It has been a strange season for Liverpool, of that there is no doubt. It is impossible to know how much of that is down to the death of Diogo Jota, how much is Slot’s honeymoon period ending, and how much we can attribute to the club having to bed in so many new players.
Results have been very mixed and very streaky. Things looked rosy enough when Liverpool won their first five PL games of the campaign. But then six defeats in seven followed. They then went 10 games unbeaten in the league, but that included a run of four draws in a row and six out of nine.
Stats are funny things, and negative supporters might look at recent results and say that until recently the club had won just one of their past seven league games. However, back-to-back wins since that run mean that they have won three of their last four in the Premier League, and the only game they failed to win was against Man City.
Moreover, they have now won five of their past six matches in all competitions. Sticking with that theme, across the FA Cup, Champions League and Premier League, Slot’s men have only lost twice since the end of November. Two defeats in 20 games is solid form, and we think the Reds will have what it takes to secure a finish inside the top five.
The bookies seem to agree too, with Liverpool priced at 10/11 to finish in the top four and just 2/9 to make the top five. The oddsmakers price Chelsea at a distant 11/8 in the latter market. So, while Man United’s resurgence is no doubt rather irritating, there is still plenty of scope for 2025/26 to turn out just fine for Liverpool Football Club.