Benitez: Reaching group stages is in balance

Rafael Benitez promised that Liverpool would be a much better side in the second leg of their Champions League qualifier, but still rates his side’s chances of reaching the group stages as only “50-50”.

After their 2-1 third qualifying round first-leg victory over Maccabi Haifa at Anfield, thanks to a late goal from debutant Mark Gonzalez, Benitez knows more than £10m (€14.8m) of UEFA money for reaching the group stages hangs by a thread.