The league phase table for the Champions League is starting to take shape after three rounds of matches, with all six Premier League internationals in decent form.
After three rounds of matches, we are starting to get a better idea of how things will go in this season’s Champions League competition. This is just the second season of the new Swiss-style system, which replaced the group stage system that had been in place for most of the competition’s existence.
The top eight teams in the league will advance directly to the Round of 16, where they will face the winner of the playoff round, which includes teams ranked 9th through 24th overall. Teams that finish 25th or lower will be eliminated from this season’s European competition.
Last season, three of the four Premier League representatives finished in the top eight, but Manchester City finished in 22nd place before losing the play-offs to Real Madrid. Curiously, all three of England’s other clubs lost to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain (Liverpool in the round of 16), Aston Villa in the quarter-finals, and Arsenal in the semi-finals.
Six Premier League teams will be participating this year. England earned a spot in fifth place thanks to the Premier League team’s performance in last season’s European competition, and also earned a spot with Spurs’ victory in the Europa League final.
So far, these six clubs have had mixed results. Here, Mirror Football looks at the state of play as we begin to figure out which teams are in the best position to advance to the finals.
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Top 8 people
After three rounds of play, there are still five teams with 100 percent records. This group includes last season’s finalists Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, with the former in far better form than last season when it took until the seventh game to pick up their third win.
Along with Arsenal, Inter are one of the two teams with the most points and the most clean sheets. Bayern Munich and Real Madrid also won three out of three, with the latter beating Juventus on Wednesday with a solitary goal from Jude Bellingham.
As things stand, Newcastle and Manchester City in the Premier League are also aiming for a top eight finish, as is Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga. Dortmund and City each have seven points, but Newcastle’s 3-0 win over Benfica on Tuesday ensured they have the highest goal difference of the seven teams, currently on six points.
Playoff candidates
The remaining three Premier League players will also participate in this round. Liverpool and Chelsea sit on six points with two wins and one loss, but Spurs will be 15th out of 36 teams in the overall standings if they pick up five points from three games.
Galatasaray and Barcelona have both won against English sides this season, with six points from both games. Sporting Lisbon and surprise package Carabag also finished with two wins and one loss, while PSV Eindhoven finished in the top 16 with four points and a better goal difference than Atalanta.
Teams that finish between 9th and 16th will have home field advantage against teams 17th through 24th in the playoffs. Teams in the latter camp include Atlético Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Napoli, and could be a tricky test heading into the play-offs.
Teams at risk
Several heavy hitters have struggled so far, especially Ajax and Benfica. Both have won the European Cup and the Champions League, but neither has picked up a point after three matches.
Juventus are also in danger of being eliminated, having drawn their first two games before losing at the Bernabéu in midweek. Two of Juve’s remaining three home games are against currently winless teams Benfica and Paphos, so there is a chance to turn things around.
Last season, 11 points was the magic number for a team to make the playoffs, but not every team with 11 points made it through. Man City, Sporting and Club Brugge all advanced with 11 points, but Dinamo Zagreb missed out on goal difference.
game week 4 games
The two teams with the most points will meet at the Parc des Princes, and the winner of the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich will largely confirm their progress. Last season, 16 points was enough for a top-eight finish.
Other matches between the high flyers include Man City vs. Dortmund, Liverpool vs. Real Madrid and Qarabag vs. Chelsea. As for the other English teams, Arsenal will play away to 28th-placed Slavia Prague, Spurs will be at home to 32nd-placed FC Copenhagen, and Newcastle will host 21st-placed Athletic at St. James’ Park.
At the bottom of the league’s phase table, a match between underperforming teams Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen stands out. Both sides are without a win after three games, and a loss in Lisbon will make it difficult for the losing team to advance.
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