Champions League: What each Premier League club needs to do on final matchday | OneFootball

The Champions League league phase comes to a close on Wednesday night with four Premier League clubs in action.

The new 36-team format has had its detractors, but it may actually be more engrossing than the previous group stage that became a bit stale in recent years. It feels like there are fewer dead rubbers heading into the final matchday, with lots on the line across the competition.

In case you need a refresher, 24 teams will qualify for the knockout stage with the top eight in the table bypassing the playoff round straight into the last-16. Barcelona and Liverpool are the only sides who have already guaranteed themselves a top-eight finish.

16 clubs have secured a top 24 place at the very least, while there are nine teams who could qualify for the next round and another nine who have been eliminated altogether. Here are all of those teams in question:

Top-24 guaranteed (at least): Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Monaco, Feyenoord, Lille, Brest, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus, Celtic.

Uncertain of progression: PSV, Club Brugge, Benfica, PSG, Sporting, Stuttgart, Manchester City, Dinamo Zagreb, Shakhtar Donetsk.

Eliminated: Bologna, Sparta Prague, Leipzig, Girona, Red Star Belgrade, Sturm Graz, Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys.

Let’s take a look at each of the Premier League clubs and the permutations facing them on Wednesday.

Champions League: What each Premier League club needs to do on final matchday

Arsenal

Position: 3rd (16 points)

The Gunners are in a very comfortable position ahead of their trip to Girona. It would take an extraordinary set of results for them to be knocked out of the top eight as they have a three-point buffer and a healthy goal difference, so defeat wouldn’t be the end of the world.

A draw would assure progress to the last-16, while a win could see them overtake Barcelona in second place – and the guarantee of home second legs throughout the knockout phase.

Read – Arsenal outcast set for Celtic reunion as transfer agreed

Aston Villa

Position: 9th (13 points)

Defeat to Monaco last week may prove costly to the Villans, who sit on the precipice of the top eight. They need to beat Celtic at home and hope results elsewhere go in their favour; a draw is highly unlikely to be enough. With six sides tied on 13 points, the final spot for the round of 16 will be hotly contested.

Read – Every team that has qualified for the Champions League round of 16

Liverpool

Position: 1st (21 points)

Arne Slot has left most of his star players behind for the Reds’ trip to his native Netherlands after guaranteeing at least a top two finish in the Champions League. Liverpool, who have won all seven of their matches to date, can secure first place with a draw against PSV Eindhoven, while defeat opens the door for Barcelona to overtake them. Either way, they will play all of their second legs at home for as long as they remain in the competition.

Read – Liverpool receive injury boost ahead of Champions League clash

Man City

Position: 25th (8 points)

The Premier League champions sit in the most precarious position of all the English sides. They currently sit two points outside the top 24, so nothing less than victory over Club Brugge at home will do. The Belgian outfit are on 11 points with an inferior goal difference, meaning Man City can ignore results elsewhere and focus on winning.

Read – The greatest comebacks in Champions League history

Read More – The most shocking relegations from Europe’s top five leagues

See Also – Premier League teams who need to make a signing before the deadline

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