Arne Slot can give thanks to the new Champion League format and acclaim Liverpool as Europe’s best. For another week, at least.

Liverpool became the first team to guarantee a place in the last 16 of the new Champions League format by beating Lille 2-1 on Tuesday, while Barcelona fought back from two goals down to stun Benfica 5-4 in a thriller.

Hello and welcome everyone to The Athletic for our live coverage of Liverpool vs Lille. The Champions League is back today after a more than month-long hiatus and the fixture we're focusing on pits the Premier League leaders against one of the high-flying sides in Ligue 1.