Wednesday evening promises to be a chaotic with the new phases of the Champions League group phase that are coming to an end.
For the first time in the new format, every team in the competition will be in action at the same time. And there is still at stake – especially for clubs in the Premier League.
Liverpool has already sealed their place in the next round, while Arsenal is about to secure a place in the last 16 and to avoid a dangerous play-off. In the meantime, Aston Villa is also in a positive position on the way to the last group game.
On the other side of the spectrum, champions Manchester City was confronted with a nightmario scenario in 2023 and could be completely eliminated. View the permutations that can occur on what promises to be an exciting evening of European promotion.
The top eight teams in the competition phase automatically qualify for the last 16, while the teams enter a play-off round from ninth to 24th, with those from 25th in-down from Europe.
City occupies the 25th place after a difficult start of the season and are two points on drift of the closure.
The good news for the winners of 2023 comes with a winable fixture on paper, at home near the Belgian champions, and a simple calculation – Win and City end up a target difference above Bruges, take all other considerations of the table and to the play- Off.
However, a loss or even a draw will be eliminated by the side of Pep Guardiola.
Liverpool, on the other hand, is at the top of the rankings with seven victories from Zeven and their last 16 qualification guaranteed.
They are indeed safe in the top two-way boost for their last 16 sowing and need only one point in the native Netherlands of Manager Arne Slot to close first place for Barcelona.
Mikel Arteta also goes to his home country and in his case needs a point to secure the highest place in Arsenal and to skip the play-off round.
She could take the victory from the third to second place, and sowing a more favorable sowing that separates them from Liverpool to the final, in the event that Barca is falling at home on a seventh placed atalanta side that still has to conquer direct qualification.
A second place in the group stage also guarantees that the Gunners have every second stage in the knockout phases at home. A considerable advantage,
Aston Villa is one place and one goal outside the top eight, currently completed by Bayer Leverkusen, with Celtic a point back but in the 18th.
Victory would lift the Premier League side to the top eight above Atalanta or Leverkusen as drop points, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid or Inter Milan if they lose or even the Gunners if they were beaten with an important target difference swing. The difficult task of Atalanta offers special encouragement, while a draw would be sufficient if Leverkusen were to lose.
Celtic is already safe with a play-off place, but the victory would see them sowing for that round at the expense of European powers such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus or a Borussia Dortmund-Kant who the Hoops 7- 1 in October.
Even automatic qualification is still technically possible, but would require seven results to leave Celtic's, including a draw between Lille and Feyenoord.
Bayern Munich-Die Organizing the final in May and Holders Real Madrid are on 12 points in the same boat in 15th and 16th respectively, those victories need to have a chance of automatic progression and to ensure a sowing in the play -Fut round minimal.
Bayern host Pointless Slovan Bratislava but real trips to Brest, a point for them in the 13th.
PSG's victory over the men of Pep Guardiola raised their chances last week, but in 22nd place at 10 points they would still be in danger if the city made a win or Dinamo Zagreb AC Milan upset. A point against Stuttgart would effectively secure the location of the French side, given the poor goal difference of Dinamo.
Shakhtar Donetsk is the other team that could still break in with PSV, Bruges, Benfica, Sporting Lisbon and Stuttgart also vulnerable.
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