The Champions League Is Starting to Take Shape

After seven league matches that each team had to play, an image of the possible new stage is beginning to take shape.

One match away

The seventh matchday of the Champions League group stage has concluded, promising a thrilling final round. Arsenal and Bayern Munich were the two teams that had already secured their round of 16 spots with 21 and 18 points respectively, while Villarreal, Eintracht Frankfurt, Kairat Almaty, and Slavia Praha were eliminated from the playoffs. As for the rest of the table, it is still subject to change on the final matchday of this stage.

Where is the Spanish clásico in the Champions League?

Real Madrid is hot on the heels of the two teams at the top of the table, currently in third place with 15 points and a direct berth to the round of 16, but they haven’t yet secured it. Their classic rival, FC Barcelona, is in ninth place with 13 points, and although they’re outside the direct qualification spots, they still have a chance to break into the top eight.

Those who can still enter directly

Manchester City, Sporting, Atlético de Madrid, Inter, Juventus, and Dortmund are among the other teams that will have to fight to secure their playoff spot or try to pull off an epic run, with a bit of luck, to finish among the top eight. There isn’t much of a points difference, but they would need outside results in addition to winning their own matches.

On the verge of being left out

While Napoli, Olympiacos, Athletic, and PSV are fighting for the last playoff spots, all of these teams currently have eight points. The only team that doesn’t make the top 24 is Napoli, even tho they have the same number of points. If the tournament ends with very similar results, we could have a tiebreaker based on goal difference.

How would the tournament be structured, once the league phase is over?

The eight teams with direct qualification would have to wait for the playoffs among the other sixteen to be resolved. If this league stage ended today.

Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain could face any of Monaco, PSV, Manchester City, or Atlético de Madrid, depending on which two advance to the round of 16.

In the other bracket are Real Madrid and Liverpool, who would have to wait for the outcome between Leverkusen, Marseille, Atalanta, and Inter.

Meanwhile, Newcastle and Chelsea would have to wait for Athletic, Olympiacos, Barcelona, or Sporting Lisbon.

And for the final tie between Arsenal and Bayern Munich, the two top teams in the standings, they would have to wait for the results between Juventus, Dortmund, Galatasaray, and Qarabay.