Liverpool never really looked like topping their Champions League group on Tuesday night.
Needing to win by four clear goals against a Napoli side who thumped them 4-1 less than two months ago, and were unbeaten across all competitions having won five from five in the group beforehand, was an uphill task from the off. And despite a rousing final 10 minutes in which Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez poked home close-range finishes, the thought of leapfrogging the Italian outfit to top Group A never fully materialised.
And so the Reds finished second, securing their place in Monday's round-of-16 draw with the daunting prospect of facing the continent's footballing giants. Jurgen Klopp's side cannot face domestic opponents in Manchester City, Chelsea or Tottenham, nor can they face Group A rivals Napoli. That leaves Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Porto.
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But maybe that prospect doesn't have to be so daunting, and if you don't believe in omens, now might be the time to start.
In the current format of the Champions League, Liverpool have only finished second on three occasions: 2004/05, 2007/08 and 2018/19. Two of those seasons will hold special memories for Reds fans, having seen their side lift the trophy come May 2005 and June 2019 - they also reached the semi-final in 2007/2008, but lost to Chelsea after extra-time.
2018/2019 saw Klopp's side drawn in Group C alongside PSG, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade. The Reds lost in Naples early on but won their final group stage game to secure second-place, at Anfield, against Napoli - Mohamed Salah scored the only goal that evening as Liverpool kept a clean sheet. Sound familiar?
And although many on Merseyside will not fancy the prospect of seeing Sadio Mane return to Anfield so quickly - not least because Bayern won six from six in the group and are flying at the minute - it was the German outfit in the round-of-16 who Liverpool beat 3-1 on aggregate.
If that is not enough to all-but guarantee Liverpool's imminent European glory, the final this year will be at a certain Ataturk stadium in Istanbul, home of the infamous 2005 triumph courtesy of Jerzy Dudek's wobbly knees.
Finishing second in the group undoubtedly has its downsides, with three of the four potential opponents likely to be looking at June's final as a realistic target. But Liverpool tend to go further - and, crucially, win the whole thing - when their backs are against it from the off.
Fingers crossed for Bayern then!
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