Why Liverpool Will Reach the Champions League Knockout Round

Liverpool have had a tough time of late. The last week has seen two losses in the Premier League and a win by the skin of their teeth in their return to the Champions League, and they have not even come close to reaching the dizzying heights of last season.

However, this poor spell will not matter in the long run, and they will still qualify from their group and reach the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time since 2008.

A win by the skin of their teeth it may have been, but it was still a win. It was never going to be an easy game against Ludogorets, but Liverpool came through. Their determination going forward saw to that, as Javi Manquillo won a late penalty to secure the win. 

According to BBC Sport, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said after the win that his team "did OK but it wasn't better than OK." He was right.

Fortunately, they did not need to be spectacular to get past the determined Bulgarian outfit.

Yes, the two games against Real Madrid will be important in terms of the prestige of the competition, but they are actually irrelevant in terms of the final outcome of the group.

Even if Liverpool fail to get a point in either leg against Los Blancos, Real Madrid's dismantling of Basel in the game at the Bernabeu should mean that all Liverpool have to do is get equal or more points than Basel across the two matches they play.

Madrid are likely to top the group, but there is no reason why Liverpool can't finish second, particularly with Daniel Sturridge set to be fit again by the time Liverpool come up against Basel for the first time.

The Swiss side have only progressed once to the knockout phases of the Champions League, in the 2011/12 season.

Since then, they have lost two of the star players that made them a genuine European threat in Xherdan Shaqiri and Mohamed Salah, who have gone to Bayern Munich and Chelsea respectively. Basel have lost their fear factor, and Liverpool will fancy their chances.

This has been a difficult week for Liverpool, but they look a significantly better team when Sturridge is in the side, as he offers them more pace and movement up front. 

Balotelli has found himself somewhat isolated without a willing runner alongside him to take defenders away, as Liverpool are not accustomed to playing with a target man.

This is undeniably what Balotelli is and where the problem arises, but it will become redundant once Sturridge is back in the fold. The Italian has show glimpses of brilliance but has lacked support.

Sturridge is Liverpool's most prolific striker in recent memory, scoring 36 goals in his first 50 games for the club—more than Robbie Fowler, Fernando Torres and even Kenny Dalglish managed.

The addition of Balotelli's maverick brilliance will only serve to reinforce this prolific strike rate and strike fear into the heart of domestic and continental defences alike.

Once Sturridge and Balotelli are able to dovetail, the attacking flair should begin to click once more and Liverpool should be too much for Basel and Ludogorets; the Reds may even give Real Madrid a good game.

After all, the current outfit is much more talented and dangerous than Liverpool's team in 2005, and everyone knows how that Champions League campaign ended.