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Champions League: Who needs what in the final fixtures


The first edition of the Champions League's league phase comes to a close on Wednesday, with all 36 teams playing at the same time to determine final placings.

To recap, the top eight in the standings will automatically qualify for the last 16 of the competition, while teams who finish between ninth and 24th will go into a two-legged play-off to join them. Teams in 25th and below will be eliminated and their European campaign is over. No dropping into the Europa League this time.

The Champions League is completely different this season
The Champions League is completely different this season

Teams placed ninth to 16th will be seeded and will face a team placed 17th to 24th, with the advantage of finishing higher in the league being that the seeded teams get to play the second leg at home. The draw for the play-off will be made on Friday January 31.

The seeded sides will already know their opponents will be one of two teams ahead of the draw, with the teams to finish ninth and 10th in the league phase taking on either of the sides finishing 23rd or 24th, 11th and 12th will take on either 21st or 22nd and so on; the draw just determines which one each team faces.


What has already been decided?

Guaranteed top eight: Liverpool, Barcelona

Top-24 guaranteed (at least): Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Monaco, Feyenoord, Lille, Brest, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus, Celtic

Eliminated: Bologna, Sparta Prague, Leipzig, Girona, Red Star Belgrade, Sturm Graz, Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys

Uncertain of progression: PSV, Club Brugge, Benfica, PSG, Sporting, Stuttgart, Manchester City, Dinamo Zagreb, Shakhtar Donetsk


How do things look for the British clubs?

Manchester City (25th) are in the biggest danger of all Premier League teams, as they head into the final match outside the play-off spots and needing to win to finish in the top 24. A victory over Club Brugge at the Etihad does just that, while anything less would see them eliminated.

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Liverpool (1st) have won every game so far, and a point in their final fixture at PSV would guarantee top spot, though Arne Slot's side can't finish any lower than second.

Arsenal (3rd) need only a point away at Girona to secure a top eight spot, though even a loss would likely see them finish in the top eight. The only way Mikel Arteta's side miss out is if they lose and there is a big goal swing.

Unai Emery

Aston Villa head into the final matchday in ninth spot, and know that while a win would give them a great chance of finishing in the top eight, even victory over Celtic at Villa Park doesn't guarantee that. They would require dropped points from one of Atletico Madrid, Milan, Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen, or a bigger margin victory than the latter with just one goal separating Unai Emery's men and Xabi Alonso's.

Celtic (18th) are just jockeying for position. They head to Villa guaranteed of a place in the play-offs, but a higher finish could mean a more favourable draw. If the table finished as it currently looks, the Bhoys would take on either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the two-legged play-off.


What about the European giants?

Barcelona (2nd) are guaranteed a top eight finish but only a win over Atalanta (7th) would see them secure a spot in the league phase's top two. 2022 Champions League finalists Inter (4th) need one more point to guarantee their spot in the last 16, while a point could be enough for Atletico Madrid (5th) though a win against already eliminated Salzburg makes certain of their progression.

Diego Simeone

Milan (6th) are in the same predicament as Atleti, needing a win to be sure of going through automatically, while reigning German champions Bayer Leverkusen round off the top eight heading into the final matchday, and need a convincing win to guarantee their spot in the top eight. They are tied with five other teams on points, so their progression could come down to goal difference. Leverkusen do get to face an eliminated side (Sparta Prague) at home though.

Last season's finalists Dortmund (14th) need a host of results to go their way if they are to finish in the top eight, and while that seems unlikely, they host Shakhtar in the final round of fixtures looking to move up the table at the very least, in a bid to get a kinder draw in the play-off.

Jude Bellingham

German juggernauts Bayern Munich (15th) and reigning champions Real Madrid (16th) also need a minor miracle to get into the top eight. Both need wide margin victories and at least seven results to go their way. The pair finish against Slovan Bratislava (h) and Brest (a) respectively.

Juventus (17th) host Benfica (20th) in a similar predicament, with the Old Lady extremely likely to finish in the play-off spot while the Portuguese side need a point to avoid elimination.

PSG (22nd) got a huge win against Manchester City last week to keep themselves alive, and now know a point away at Stuttgart (24th) will more than likely be enough to finish in the top 24. Both PSG and Stuttgart know a point would more than likely be enough for both to finish in the top 24, with only an extremely wide-margin for Dinamo Zagreb against Milan will see either eliminated, though defeat for either puts them in serious danger.


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