MatchIn full: Arne Slot's programme notes for Liverpool v Qarabag

Ahead of tonight’s 8pm GMT kick-off at Anfield, the head coach writes: “When this season’s competition began back in September, our initial target was to get ourselves into the kind of position that we find ourselves in tonight – with the possibility of automatic qualification in our own hands.

“That we are in this situation is great credit to the players, particularly as our draw was very testing at a time when, by our own admission, our form has not been as strong as we would like it to be.

“Winning games at this level is only ever difficult so the five victories we have earned out of seven matches so far is a very good return and now we need to build on that by finishing the job tonight.

“For this to happen, we will need to improve on our performance at the weekend when we lost to Bournemouth. As I said afterwards, the way this defeat came about was hugely frustrating, especially as we conceded another last-minute goal after getting ourselves back into the game, but the only way to deal with this kind of disappointment is to use it to drive us on.

“I understand people do not always like to hear positives after a result like that but it was nevertheless true that the team deserved credit for pushing as hard as they did only a couple of days after a Champions League fixture in Marseille.

“This time around, we have more time to recover in between games so hopefully we can bring more freshness onto the pitch. If we can do this and also show our quality then our chances of reaching the last 16 without the need for a play-off will only improve.

“I know there will be a lot of noise about the different permutations and possibilities involved in this last round of fixtures but the best and only approach for us is to focus on our own game and getting the best possible result.

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“I would like to welcome Gurban Gurbanov, his players and staff and the directors and supporters of Qarabag to Anfield for tonight’s game. This is the first time our clubs have met in European competition and also the first time that we have come up against an opponent from Azerbaijan.

“This only adds to the sense of occasion so I hope our visitors enjoy everything about their visit with the exception of the result, of course.

“It is clear that Qarabag have their own ambitions in the Champions League this season and having already enjoyed victories against Benfica, Eintracht Frankfurt, Copenhagen and a draw with Chelsea, they will come here in search of another notable result so we have to be ready for that.

“Most of all, though, we have to be ready to show our best or as close to it as we possibly can. This is the standard of the competition and the requirement for going far in it so the more we can reach those kinds of levels the better.

“We have done this already this season against some very strong teams, including Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Inter Milan and Marseille. The performance levels and results we achieved on those occasions should give us confidence in terms of what we are capable of and we should take this belief into every game we play.

“The atmosphere during our home matches in this run has been a massive help to the players, especially during a period in which we have not always been able to reach our best levels in the Premier League.

“Hopefully tonight will be similar as we look to take a big step forward in Europe.”

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