How the Champions League table looks after Matchday 5

Matchday 5 of the Champions League League Phase is officially in the books, and it delivered drama everywhere you looked. With nine matches played on Wednesday—after nine more on Tuesday—Europe’s biggest clubs reshaped the standings in a round full of goals, comebacks and consequences.

Spain’s heavyweights took center stage: Real Madrid won a wild 4-3 thriller in Greece, while Atlético de Madrid beat Inter 2-1 to stay alive. Elsewhere, Arsenal, PSG, Bayern, Chelsea and Manchester City left their mark on a week that tightened the race at the top… and raised alarms at the bottom.

Before diving into the storylines, here’s the updated table after Matchday 5:

The contenders: who’s dominating the tournament?

At the top, Arsenal remain perfect, the only team with 15 points and a goal difference that screams contender. Right behind them, PSG, Bayern, Inter and Real Madrid form a terrifying group of giants who already look tailor-made for a deep run.

Manchester City, despite their slip against Leverkusen, stay firmly in the fight, while Chelsea, Dortmund and Sporting round out a competitive upper zone.

For now, these are the clubs shaping the knockout race.

The playoff scramble: chaos in the middle

From mid-table all the way down to the early 20s, the battle is absolute madness. Giants like Liverpool, Juventus, Napoli, Marseille and Atlético de Madrid still haven’t locked in qualification and need strong Matchday 6 performances to avoid a nail-biting playoff.

Even teams with seven or eight points—Barcelona, Tottenham, Leverkusen, PSV—aren’t safe. One bad result could drag anyone into the chaos.

Danger zone: clubs at risk of crashing out

This is where the real tension begins.

Between positions 25 and 30, a bad last matchday could send teams home early.

Union Saint-Gilloise, Club Brugge, Athletic, Eintracht Frankfurt, Copenhagen and Benfica are all hanging by a thread.

For Benfica in particular, the decline is dramatic: a historic club, former finalist, now struggling just to stay afloat.

The disasters of the season

Some collapses are harder to explain—and even harder to watch.

Villarreal, semifinalists not long ago, sit near the bottom with just one point.
Ajax, four-time European champions, are dead last with five losses out of five.
Even Benfica, with its European pedigree, looks unrecognizable.

These clubs aren’t just having bad campaigns—they’re offering some of the biggest disappointments of the entire Champions League.

A final matchday that promises absolute chaos

With qualification, playoffs, and eliminations all still in play, Matchday 6 is set up to be pure drama from start to finish. Giants still need points, underdogs smell blood, and several historic clubs could face early exits.

The Champions League has already delivered tension, surprises and collapses…
And the final round might be the wildest one yet.