Liverpool final day could see Brentford lose on purpose

The same analysis adds: “Brighton are at home to third-placed Manchester United, and Brentford are at Liverpool, who are fourth.”

If the conditions fall into place, Brentford could find themselves in the absurd position of needing a defeat at Anfield to secure a higher-level European spot.

Why this strange scenario is possible

The confusion stems from UEFA rules and the so-called European Performance Spot, which has already given England an extra Champions League place this season.

BBC Sport outline the key issue clearly: “Even more remarkably there might be teams on the final day who might need to LOSE to end up in the Champions League.”

That depends on Aston Villa finishing fifth and winning the Europa League, which would push the additional Champions League place down to sixth.

It creates a potentially awkward dynamic, because Liverpool currently need three points to guarantee our place, Brentford could be relying on a defeat against us to benefit from the wider picture.

Arne Slot has already made it clear we can’t rely on scenarios, saying we need to take care of our own results, and that remains the key point here.

But if things aren’t wrapped up before that final day, we could be walking into one of the strangest fixtures the Premier League has ever seen, where both teams want Liverpool to win the match.