It feels as though Liverpool’s season hinges on the next week or so. After a nightmare seven days, what remains of the hopes for two more trophies could be salvaged, or dashed completely.

Back-to-back defeats at home to Atalanta and Crystal Palace, coming in hot off the heels of a downright frustrating 2-2 draw at Manchester United, mean the chances of claiming either of the Europa League or Premier League are now hanging by a thread.

The Reds have an almighty mountain to climb if they’re to overturn the 3-0 deficit in Bergamo on Thursday. The league then might be their best hope of adding to the Carabao Cup secured earlier this year.

But even that now relies on both Manchester City and Arsenal slipping up again before the end of the season. The chances of that though could be about to increase.

Both Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta’s sides will be back in action in the Champions League on Wednesday. Both sides are level in their respective ties against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Should they both win, they will then face each other in the semi-finals of the competition. That, Jamie Carragher believes, could give Liverpool an advantage.

"For Liverpool to win the league — and I've always believed this — they need the two of them [Manchester City and Arsenal] to play each other in the Champions League semi-final,” Carragher said last week on The Gary Neville Podcast. “They both need to get through because I know psychologically and physically what it's like playing an English team. It takes a lot out of you and when you're going for a league title, that could help Liverpool."

With Liverpool’s own hopes of European glory now hanging by a thread, more Reds fans might now feel compelled to watch their rivals in action on Wednesday. While going out of the Europa League is a fate no one would have wanted to consider this time last week, it does now seem highly likely.

Klopp no doubt will not go down without a fight, but the odds are stacked against his side. An early exit though could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Liverpool’s title hopes.

If City and Arsenal make it through their Champions League ties, then that is two extra games for them both to factor into an already hectic schedule, and it’s not as if there’ll be any opportunities for them to rest important players. Liverpool’s schedule could be freed up a little, enabling them to go all out in the Premier League.

Regardless of whether they go through or not, Liverpool could really do with a morale-boosting victory in Europe this week. Considering the implications on the title race, the Reds will also be hoping for wins for their rivals on the continent as well.