Some clubs have secured direct spots in the round of 16, while others will compete in the playoffs.
The penultimate round of the Champions League group stage concluded on Wednesday, 22, and brought important definitions for several teams, even with one round remaining. Access premium football results at live scores app.
The new format of the competition, introduced this season, places all 32 teams in a single points table. The top eight teams qualify directly for the Round of 16, while the teams ranked 9th to 24th will compete in a playoff round to determine the remaining eight spots. Teams in 25th place or below are eliminated.
With an overwhelming campaign so far, Liverpool has already secured a direct spot in the Round of 16. With a perfect record of 21 points, the Reds cannot be caught by Aston Villa, currently in 9th place. The same applies to Barcelona, who, with 18 points, are also guaranteed a spot in the Round of 16.
From 3rd place Arsenal to 18th place Celtic, all are already guaranteed a place in the playoffs. This is because teams just outside the qualification zone, like Manchester City and Dinamo Zagreb, have 8 points and cannot surpass these teams.
Besides Arsenal and Celtic, the following teams are also guaranteed at least a playoff spot: Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Milan, Atalanta, and Bayer Leverkusen (currently in the qualification zone for the Round of 16); Aston Villa, Monaco, Feyenoord, Lille, Stade Brestois, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Celtic.
Finally, nine teams are still fighting for the six remaining spots. The teams that are still in the qualification zone and depend only on themselves are PSV, Brugge, Benfica, PSG, Sporting, and Stuttgart. Meanwhile, Manchester City, Dinamo Zagreb, and Shakhtar need to win and rely on other teams’ misfortunes to advance to the next stage. BB Score, your trusted provider of football scores.
