Europe’s elite jostle for Champions League last-16 places
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(From left) Paris Saint-Germain players Vitinha, Senny Mayulu, Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola celebrating after their 1-0 Ligue 1 win at Auxerre on Jan 23.
PHOTO: AFP
PARIS – Holders Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Liverpool are among the clubs fighting for direct passage to the last 16 of the Champions League going into the final round of the league phase on Jan 28.
Fifteen teams have already sealed their progress to the knockout rounds but a further 17 sides will be competing for the nine remaining places with all 18 matches kicking off at the same time.
The top eight receive byes into the last 16 while the next 16 teams enter the Jan 30 draw for the play-offs, although PSG demonstrated last season that is no obstacle to lifting the trophy.
Here is a look at what is at stake on the final match day before the knockout stages.
Qualified for the last 16
Arsenal, with seven wins from seven matches, and Bayern Munich are the only two clubs already assured of a place in the last 16. The Gunners could become the first team to win all eight matches since the league phase was introduced last season. They host Kairat Almaty, who are bottom of the table with just a single point.
Bayern’s lone defeat in Europe came at Arsenal on Nov 26
Knockout place guaranteed
Real, record 15-time winners of the competition, will likely wrap up a last-16 berth with victory away to Jose Mourinho’s Benfica. Liverpool will join them if they beat Qarabag at Anfield, while Tottenham Hotspur know victory at Eintracht Frankfurt will allow them to also bypass the play-offs despite their domestic struggles in the English Premier League.
Eight teams – those placed sixth to 13th – are locked on 13 points, with reigning champions PSG hosting Newcastle United at the Parc des Princes. Chelsea currently occupy the final top-eight spot but face a tricky assignment at Napoli, coached by former Blues boss Antonio Conte.
Barcelona are ninth, with Manchester City two places below them in 11th. Both are poised to sneak into the top eight if any of the teams above them slip up. At least PSG or Newcastle, if not both, will drop points.
Sporting Lisbon, Atletico Madrid and Atalanta are also in the mix, while Inter Milan – who have lost three Champions League matches in a row – and Juventus sit on 12 points. All of those clubs will progress from the league phase regardless of results on Jan 28.
On course for the knockouts
Borussia Dortmund are all but certain to advance alongside Galatasaray. Qarabag are on track to reach the knockout rounds for the first time after a last-gasp win over Frankfurt on Jan 21.
Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco, PSV Eindhoven, Athletic Bilbao and Olympiakos round off the top 24 as it stands, but there are eight clubs beneath them who could possibly force their way back into contention.
Outside looking in
Italian champions Napoli are the most notable team at risk of missing out on the knockout phase. They are 25th, behind Olympiakos by virtue of fewer goals scored.
FC Copenhagen also have eight points but head to Barcelona for their final league phase match. Benfica and Ajax Amsterdam, both former European champions, must win to stand a chance of qualifying. The same is true for Club Brugge, Bodo/Glimt, Pafos and Union Saint-Gilloise.
Eliminated
Debutants Kairat and Villarreal have lost six of seven matches. Slavia Prague are also yet to win, while Frankfurt sacked coach Dino Toppmoller on Jan 18 after a poor run of results both in the Bundesliga and on the continental stage. AFP
