LIVERPOOL have put themselves in a worrying position ahead of the Champions League knockout stages.
Jurgen Klopp‘s men finished their group with a 2-0 win over Napoli at Anfield on Tuesday evening.
But that could not prevent them from coming second behind the Serie A side as Napoli’s 4-1 win over the Reds back in September saw them end with the better head-to-head record.
It means Liverpool will now have to face a group winner in the second round as Europe’s giants prepare for the Champions League draw on Monday, November 7.
They cannot be drawn against Napoli as they were in the same group.
And it is also not possible for Klopp’s men to face an English side – which rules out Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea.
So this leaves just four options for Liverpool as they look to progress through to a fourth Champions League final in five years.
Those options are Porto, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Benfica.
But the most likely opponent for Liverpool is German champions Bayern.
This is because Julian Nagelsmann’s side also have just four possible options in the last 16.
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Bayern cannot come up against Eintracht Frankfurt, RB Leipzig or Borussia Dortmund as they are fellow Bundesliga clubs.
And Inter Milan are also unable to face them as they were in their group.
This leaves Bayern with just Liverpool, Club Brugge, AC Milan or Paris Saint-Germain as potential opponents.
According to the Bayern Forum, all this adds up to give Bayern and Liverpool a 37 per cent chance of meeting in the last 16.
That is the highest percentage chance of any two sides meeting in the second round of this year’s competition.
Liverpool’s chances of meeting Real Madrid are put at 21 per cent, while Porto and Benfica are at 20 per cent.
However, the good news for Liverpool is they have never lost to Bayern in Europe.
The two sides met in the semi-finals back in 1981, drawing both legs as Liverpool won on away goals.
And they then met for a second tie in 2019, drawing 0-0 at Anfield before the Reds won 3-1 in Germany on their way to a sixth European crown.
Both Liverpool and Bayern have been champions six times in their history, with only Real Madrid and AC Milan lifting the trophy on more occasions.
