Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham have all secured a place in the last 16 of the Champions League after their final league stage matches and have discovered their potential opponents in the knockout stages.
Joao Pedro scored twice to help Chelsea reach the last 16 of the Champions League (Image: (Photo by Isabella Bonotto/Anadolu via Getty Images))
Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City all reached the last 16 of the Champions League, along with Liverpool and Arsenal. The latter duo had almost secured a place in the top eight in the previous round. But there was still danger for the Blues, Spurs, Josep Guardiola’s side and Newcastle United.
The Magpies needed a home win against reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain to avoid the play-off round, but failed to achieve that while three other English teams won. Josep Guardiola’s side beat Galatasaray 2-0, finishing eighth in the table and just one step away.
City have secured a place in the last 16 but face a very tough draw. The finals will feature either Bodo/Glimt, Real Madrid, Inter or Benfica, the latter having just qualified on goal difference thanks to a last-minute goal from goalkeeper Anatoly Trubin. Real finished in ninth place with the loss in Portugal, leaving Barcelona as the only Spanish team seeded.
read more: When is the draw for the Champions League play-off round? Date and time and how to watchread more: Benfica goalkeeper scores last goal against Real Madrid to stay in Champions League
But it was a completely different story for Premier League teams, with Chelsea making a second-half comeback against Napoli to finish sixth. Monaco, Qarabag, PSG or Newcastle will be waiting in the round of 16.
The latter finished 12th and qualified for the play-offs after a 1-1 stalemate at the Parc des Princes. Coach Eddie Howe will find out which of these three teams will play in two games in mid-February on Friday, January 30th, when the playoff draw will be drawn.
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Meanwhile, Thomas Frank’s side avoided any danger by defeating Eintracht Frankfurt and finishing fourth in the final league standings, meaning they will face Galatasaray, Club Brugge, Atletico Madrid or Juventus.
The same opponent combination also applies to Liverpool, who won 6-0 against Qarabag and finished one place above them.
Arsenal had already secured a place in the top eight, but with a 3-2 win over Kairat Almaty at the Emirates Stadium, they officially confirmed their league stage victory.
In doing so, Mikel Arteta’s side knew they would be facing either a team ranked 15th, 16th, 17th or 18th. Bayer Leverkusen, Olympiakos, Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta have since been confirmed as opponents.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester City and Chelsea will have two fewer games to play in their busy February schedules, which will mean a significant relaxation in their schedules.
Randall Kolo Muani scores as Tottenham claim big win in Germany (Image: PA)
All five clubs will closely monitor Friday’s play-off draw to find out who their opponents could be to advance to the last 16.
In terms of big shocks, it’s certainly surprising that Real and PSG aren’t in the top eight, as Sporting have snuck into that position after defeating the latter and Athletic Bilbao in their last two games.
European powerhouses Juventus and Atlético also missed out, dropping points to Monaco and Bodo/Glimt, respectively. Thanks to this victory, the Norwegian team advanced to the playoff stage, but like Borussia Dortmund they were unseeded and the other team finished outside the top 16.
