It is still all to play for in Group E, with Liverpool, Sevilla and Spartak all vying for the two qualifying positions on this final matchday of the group stages. Liverpool need a win to secure top spot tonight, while only a win will do for Spartak to continue their involvement in the competition, which should hopefully make for an exciting and open game.

We will take a closer look at both clubs momentarily, but let's start by checking out the team news...

Well, the first thing that jumps out for the Liverpool selection is the strength of the team picked by Jurgen Klopp tonight. He promised a strong team and he has certainly delivered, with the big-hitters of Coutinho, Mane, Salah and Firmino all starting together despite the Merseyside derby coming up on Sunday.

Klopp has rotated in the Premier League recently and was expected to withhold one or two of his star names again tonight, but he is taking no chances against Spartak here.

Indeed, it would not be too far of a stretch to suggest that he is the club's best signing since Luis Suarez, and this season he has already scored more goals than any Liverpool player has managed in a single campaign since Suarez left the club off the back of the 31-goal campaign in 2013-14.

Salah has 17 goals in 22 outings across all competitions for the Reds, including 11 in his last 10.

Firmino has been lacking on the goal front domestically compared to Salah - despite his brace against Brighton at the weekend - but he has scored five goals and created two more in his five Champions League appearances so far this season, with six of those seven goal contributions coming in the first half.

Both Coutinho and Mane are on the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or incidentally, with that award being dished out tomorrow - although one suspects it will be another straight shootout between messrs Messi and Ronaldo.

Indeed, there are five changes overall from the team that thrashed the Seagulls on Saturday, with Mignolet, Alexander-Arnold, Milner, Henderson and Robertson all making way this evening. There is just the one change from their last Champions League outing, though, as Emre Can comes in for captain Henderson.

That is one of five changes the Russian outfit have made to their team from the last-gasp weekend win over Arsenal Tula, with Tasci, Fernando, Zobnin, Promes and Ze Luis all returning to the side in place of Kutepov, Melgarejo, Pasalic, Pedro Rocha and Samedov.

Promes is the higher scoring of the duo as far as the Russian Premier League is concerned, netting eight times this season to Adrian's seven, but Adriano arrives at Anfield in really good form having scored four times in his last four domestic matches.

Manager Massimo Carrera has made five changes to the side that were held to a draw by Maribor in their last Champions League outing, though, as the likes of Eshchenko, Bocchetti, Dzhikiya, Glushakov and Zobnin come into the team.

Victory would guarantee progress, but whether that is at the expense of Liverpool or Sevilla will depend on Sevilla's result against Maribor this evening. Spartak could even still finish top of the standings should they win and Sevilla fail to beat Maribor.

The minor complications start if Liverpool lose, as they would then be eliminated unless Sevilla also lose, as they would be below Spartak in a two-way head to head and third in a three-way head to head should they all finish on nine points.

Jurgen Klopp's side should really have qualification wrapped up now, but they drew their opening two matches against Sevilla and Spartak when they really should have won and, after wins home and away against Maribor, then threw away a three-goal half-time lead against Sevilla in their last European outing.

Indeed, from their last 14 outings Liverpool have lost just once - the 4-1 defeat to Tottenham in October - and their last 10 games have seen them plunder 33 goals. Klopp's side have scored three goals or more in seven of their last eight outings.

Just two of the 19 goals Liverpool have conceded in the Premier League this season - the joint-highest tally in the top seven and more than even bottom-club Swansea - have been let in here at Anfield.

However, this is only their second appearance in the Champions League group stages for eight years, and they find themselves on the brink of the last 16 for the first time since 2008-09. Domestically it will once again be tough to seal a top-four place with such fierce competition around them, but having had a taste for this competition again they will not want to let it go now.

As I alluded to earlier, their defensive strength here is impressive too, with the only goal they have conceded in their last five outings at Anfield being that freak Willian equaliser against Chelsea last month.

Even so, you now have to go back 12 matches to October 2014 for Liverpool's last European defeat on home soil, which came at the hands of Real Madrid.

The stats suggest that they certainly won't park the bus and hope to nick a win, with Spartak boasting the best attack in the Russian Premier League but the worst defence in the top six and the fifth-worst in the entire division.

Eight points separate Spartak from leaders and city rivals Lokomotiv Moscow, but they are just one point off the Champions League spots and would go into the three-month winter break in those places should they beat another city rivals CSKA - who lost to Manchester United last night - in Sunday's derby, which is their final game until March.

Last season they failed to even qualify for a competition proper when they were beaten by AEK Larnaca in the Europa League qualifying round, so this has been a major success by their standards even if they do end up settling for third place.

Indeed, the Russian outfit may feel that they could be in an even stronger position - perhaps even top of the group - at this stage, but for draws home and away against a Maribor side who have acted as the group whipping boys for the other two teams in the pool.

They have also failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 15 Champions League games, and even including the Europa League they have won just one of their last 12 games in European competition.

Indeed, in European competition as a whole it is 10 away games without a since since the Europa League last 16 in 2011, while they have lost no fewer than 22 of their last 28 matches on the road in the Champions League alone.

This should hopefully be an attacking game with both sides needing to win, although that would surely favour Liverpool and Spartak will be aware of that. If they try to take the game to Liverpool then the hosts could rack up a few goals, and considering they have little choice but to attack at home point, I'm going for a comfortable Liverpool win.

SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Liverpool 3-0 Spartak Moscow

They each won one of those in convincing fashion too, with Spartak running out 6-2 aggregate winners in their first ever tie - including a 2-0 win here at Anfield, whereas Liverpool won both games in the group stages 14 years ago by an aggregate score of 8-1.

It wasn't as though it was a stellar cast of scorers either, with Heskey netting twice, either side of goals from Bruno Cheyrou, Sami Hyypia and Salif Diao. The current side boasts a lot more attacking threat than those scorers, so Spartak could be in for a long evening tonight.

Liverpool are unbeaten in their last five home games against Russian opposition, meanwhile, but their solitary defeat in their six previous such matches came at the hands of Spartak in that 1992 Cup Winners' Cup tie.

The reverse fixture was the first draw between the two sides, meanwhile, with Coutinho cancelling out Fernando's opener in Moscow.

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Karius; Gomez, Klavan, Lovren, Moreno; Can, Wijnaldum, Coutinho; Mane, Salah, Firmino

SPARTAK MOSCOW STARTING XI: Selikhov; Eshchenko, Tasci, Bocchetti, Dzhikiya; Fernando, Glushakov; Zobnin, Adriano, Promes; Ze Luis

It was a bizarre challenge from the returning Dzhikiya in the box as he clumsily bundled into Salah inside the box before dragging him to ground for good measure, and the referee has no hesitation to point to the spot. Coutinho does the rest, sending the keeper the wrong way, and Liverpool lead.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid are ahead against Dortmund, Porto lead Monaco and Napoli scored the first goal of the night - before even Liverpool - away to Feyenoord.

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All of the dangerous front four are involved as Mane slides a pass in to Salah, who in turn knocks it out to Firmino. Firmino could go for goal himself, but he instead lays it on a plate for Coutinho to stroke home. Like a hot knife through butter.

Dzhikiya is again to blame as he loses the ball to Mane down the right, sending the winger clean through. Mane's cross is cut out, but the attempted clearance is poor and only falls to Firmino, who fires it into the far corner.

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Many will be quick to bring up Liverpool's collapse from three goals up against Sevilla in their last Champions League outing, but surely that cannot happen again and the Reds look to be cruising to the last 16. It could well be significantly more than the three goals Liverpool have.

It was really clumsy defending from the returning Dzhikiya as he bundled into Salah before pulling him to ground as a lofted ball was arriving into the box, gifting the Reds a perfect start to the game.

Firmino could have gone for goal himself, but he instead laid the ball on a plate for Coutinho to stroke home his finish into the bottom corner, capping off a really slick team move.

It was poor defending from the hosts as they first gave the ball away on the halfway line before failing to deal with Mane's subsequent cross into the box, and the ball dropped right at the feet of Firmino who found the far corner with a stylish outside-of-the-boot finish.

Milner got down the left flank and whipped a beauty of a cross into the middle, but Mane still has a lot to do. He is also falling over when going for the volley, but that doesn't stop him blasting a stunner past a helpless Selikhov. Brilliant finish.

Again Milner gets down the left before playing a ball into the box for Coutinho, whose snapshot finish takes a big deflection on its way past Selikhov.

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Salah collects a pass before threading the ball through for Sturridge, who in turn puts it into the middle for Mane. The ball is actually behind Mane, but he does really well to stick out a leg and hook the ball home from close range.

Again Milner is instrumental, nodding Can's lofted pass back across into the middle. Sturridge misses it, but Salah collects it, takes his time and then buries his finish into the top corner.

Philippe Coutinho will take the match ball home courtesy of his first career hat-trick, but it was a stunning display from all of that front four and Salah's goal at the death means that they all got on the scoresheet too, with Mane helping himself to a brace.

Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's exhibition from Liverpool as they rip Spartak Moscow to shreds in a 7-0 drubbing at Anfield, clinching top spot in Group E as a result. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.

From me, though, it is goodbye for now!