The expanded Champions League league part will attain a dramatic climax Wednesday with 18 simultaneous matches throughout Europe, as groups like Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain battle to remain within the competitors.
There is an actual incentive for ending within the prime eight locations of the large, 36-team standings – these sides will skip the two-legged knockout spherical playoffs subsequent month, getting some valuable relaxation as they advance straight to the final 16 in March.
Liverpool, with seven wins out of seven, and Barcelona are the one two groups to have already assured a spot within the final 16 after seven video games within the league part.
Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen occupy the opposite six spots for now, however a lot may change on the ultimate night time.
After all, Stuttgart in twenty fourth place are solely three factors behind Leverkusen in eighth, with 15 sides between them.
Arsenal and Inter want solely draw away to Girona and at dwelling to Monaco respectively with a purpose to safe their last-16 spots.
With so little between groups when it comes to factors, a lot may boil all the way down to purpose distinction, establishing a doubtlessly chaotic last night time.
Who may very well be eradicated?
Big names like reigning champions Real Madrid, final season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Juventus are all nonetheless hoping to clamber into the highest eight, however are already assured to at the least be in February’s play-off spherical.
In reality, solely 9 of the 36 groups will come into the ultimate matchday nonetheless preventing to safe qualification for the subsequent part, together with former European Cup winners PSV Eindhoven and Benfica.
The largest title beneath risk is Manchester City, with the 2023 champions at the moment languishing in twenty fifth place, one place and two factors exterior the qualifying spots.
Pep Guardiola’s crew had been crushed 4-2 away at PSG final week and have taken a single level from their final 4 video games within the competitors.
“Today we don’t deserve it,” Guardiola stated when requested following the PSG defeat if the brand new format was truthful.
“What is the argument that it isn’t fair? I said to the players to accept it and recover. We have to recover our game, that is what we have to do.”
City is in jeopardy, however they know a win of their final match will take them by means of, and they are going to be anticipated to beat Club Brugge on the Etihad Stadium.
PSG’s win at dwelling to City eased their fears of being eradicated, though it may nonetheless occur – the French champions go to Stuttgart, the place a draw can be sufficient to take each groups by means of.
For others, the heaviest worth to pay for inconsistent ends in the league part can be having to enter the playoffs.
“The table does not lie. At the moment we aren’t a top team. Top teams don’t lose as many games. But we still have the feeling that we’re in a process and on a good path,” stated Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich after his crew’s 3-0 loss at Feyenoord final week.
What subsequent?
The groups ending from ninth to twenty fourth within the standings will go into Friday’s draw for the playoffs. The first legs can be performed on Feb. 11 and 12, and the return matches can be performed per week later.
The groups ending between ninth and sixteenth can be seeded, and the draw can be primarily based on a pre-determined bracket. This means the groups ending ninth and tenth will face the facet both in twenty third or twenty fourth place, whereas fifteenth and sixteenth will face both seventeenth or 18th.
There is nothing to cease groups from the identical nation from dealing with one another, and groups may also be drawn in opposition to opponents they’ve already met within the league part.
Much is certain to vary Wednesday, however primarily based on the present standings PSG may play French rivals Lille within the playoffs, whereas Bayern or Real Madrid may play Juventus or Celtic.
Source: www.dailysabah.com