Only one match remains in the Champions League competitive phase (two for teams playing on Wednesday), but even Arne Slot is wondering what that all means for the final seedings and knockout stages.
After Liverpool's 2-1 win over Lille, head coach Slot said “we still don't know” whether it is an advantage for clubs to finish first or second seed (where his side will finish) or eighth.
The higher a team finishes in the rankings, the higher they are 'placed', and that should – based on their performance in the competition – determine an easier path to the finals.
But with European heavyweights Real Madrid and Manchester City sitting 22nd and 24th in the standings, the new format means they could still be formidable opponents for a side that finishes higher in the table.
We're here to answer all your questions about the rankings, placements and how the knockout stages work…
Why is it important to finish higher in the Champions League?
In general, there are two routes from the competition stage to the knockout stage:
Teams finishing 25th-36th will be eliminated and unlike previous seasons, no team will progress to the Europa League.
But within these paths, the higher a team finishes within each of the qualifying groups, the better their route to the later stages of the tournament will be.
For example:
If a team finishes first or second, it will skip the knockout play-offs and play one of the winners of the matches between the 17th/18th and 15th/16th seeds in the round of 16.
If a team finishes seventh or eighth, it will skip the knockout play-offs and play one of the winners of the matches between the 9th/10th and 23rd/24th series in the round of 16.
If a team finishes 15th or 16th, it will play the 17th or 18th seed in the knockout play-offs, followed by the first or second seed in the round of 16.
If a team finishes 21st or 22nd, it will play the 11th or 12th seed in the knockout play-offs, followed by the fifth or sixth seed in the round of 16.
Essentially, the higher a team scores, the more likely they are to avoid another higher-ranked player early in the knockout stages.
Wait, so Liverpool finishing first or second makes no difference?
Not significant. With teams grouped in this way, both first and second are seeded and then drawn against teams that finished 15th through 18th and continue with their play-offs. Both the first and second will be allowed to play the second leg of that last 16 tie at home.
Is there a draw for the Champions League knockout round? When is it?
After the competition phase, two draws will take place.
The first draw on Friday, January 31 at 11am will determine which of the two options each team will receive in the knockout play-off. For example, a team that finishes 13th will find out whether they are playing the team that finishes 19th or 20th.
The seeded teams (9-16) will play the second leg at home and the play-off round matches will take place on February 11/12 and February 18/19.
Teams seeded from 1st to 8th will have to wait until Friday, February 21st to find out their opponents.
That draw will then determine who they face in the round of 16, ultimately plotting their full path to the final.
I'm a fan of a British club. Who are we playing next?
There may be some confusion about what this means for your team, so as it stands, let's take a look at what the path looks like for the UK teams…
Liverpool (current seed: 1st)
Knockout Playoffs: N/A
Round of 16: vs Milan (15th), PSV (16th), Club Brugge (17th) or Benfica (18th)
Arsenal (current seed: 5th)
Knockout Playoffs: N/A
Round of 16: against LOSC Lille (11th), Bayern Munich (12th), Stuttgart (21st) or Real Madrid (22nd)
Aston Villa (current seed: 8th)
Knockout Playoffs: N/A
Round of 16: vs Brest (9th), Monaco (10th), Celtic (23rd) or Manchester City (24th)
Celtic (current seed: 23rd)
Knockout play-offs: vs Brest (9th) or Monaco (10th)
Round of 16: vs Inter Milan (7th) or Aston Villa (8th)
Manchester City (current seed: 24th)
Knockout play-offs: vs Brest (9th) or Monaco (10th)
Round of 16: vs Inter Milan (7th) or Aston Villa (8th)
How much can the table change next week?
A lot of! On Tuesday night, Julian Alvarez's 90th-minute winner moved Atletico Madrid from eleventh to third in a matter of seconds.
In that regard, only three points separate the fifth-place team (Arsenal) from the 21st-place team (Stuttgart). There will be a lot of movement, and to add to the drama, every match on the final day of play will be played at the same time: Wednesday, January 29 at 8pm.
Will there be any 'dead rubber' in the last week?
Only two! On Wednesday, only five teams were mathematically eliminated: Sturm Graz, Red Star Belgrade, RB Leipzig, Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys.
Red Star Belgrade will take on Young Boys on the final day, while Sturm Graz will play RB Leipzig in matches that will not influence the final placement, but every other team is involved in a meaningful match.
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