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Champions League first phase set for frantic finale

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The new league phase of this season’s expanded Champions League is all set for a frantic conclusion on Wednesday, as 18 matches are played simultaneously across Europe and the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain battle to avoid an early exit.

AFP Sport rounds up what is at stake ahead of the final round of games in the league phase:

There is a real incentive for finishing in the top eight places of the giant, 36-team standings — those sides will skip the two-legged knockout round play-offs next month, getting some precious rest as they advance straight to the last 16 in March

Liverpool, with seven wins out of seven, and Barcelona are the only two teams to have already guaranteed a place in the last 16 after seven games in the league phase.

Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen occupy the other six spots for now, but so much could change on the final night.

After all, Stuttgart in 24th position are only three points behind Leverkusen in eighth, with 15 sides in between them.

Arsenal and Inter need only draw away to Girona and at home to Monaco respectively in order to secure their last-16 spots.

With so little between teams in terms of points, so much could down boil down to goal difference, setting up a potentially chaotic final night.

– Who could be eliminated? –

Big names like reigning champions Real Madrid, last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Juventus are all still hoping to clamber into the top eight, but are already guaranteed to at least be in February’s play-off round.

In fact, only nine of the 36 teams will come into the final matchday still fighting to secure qualification for the next phase, including former European Cup winners PSV Eindhoven and Benfica.

The biggest name under threat is Manchester City, with the 2023 champions currently languishing in 25th position, one place and two points outside the qualifying spots.

Pep Guardiola’s team were beaten 4-2 away at PSG last week and have taken a single point from their last four games in the competition.

“Today we don’t deserve it,” Guardiola said when asked following the PSG defeat if the new format was fair.

“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.”

There is jeopardy for City, but at the same time they know a win in their last match will take them through, and they will be expected to overcome Club Brugge at the Etihad Stadium.

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