Table of Contents
Matchday 6 in the UEFA Champions League provided a chance for course correction for a handful of Europe’s top sides, but only a few seized the opportunities in front of them.
Several European heavyweights emerged from this week’s action with good news, most notably AC Milan, Juventus And Real Madrid as they strengthened their positions in the top 24 and moved closer to a spot in the knockouts. Paris Saint-Germain also picked up their first win since Matchday 1 but still have a mountain to climb with two games remaining in the league stage, while Manchester City’s crisis deepened on Wednesday as they lost to Juventus and have recorded just one win in their last ten games.
The chaos of the Champions League’s first phase means the race for the knockout places is likely to hang in the balance, with two matches remaining in which all 36 teams will have to decide their fate. The months-long countdown to the final matches of the league stage will only add to the pressure a handful of teams are experiencing, especially as inconsistency remains an issue for some.
With Matchday 6 in the book, here’s the latest panic meter for some of Europe’s top sides.
Champions League Standings
Key: Positions 1-8 qualify for Round of 16, while positions 9-24 qualify for the Knockout Stage Play-Offs and positions 25-36 are eliminated.
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | G.F | GO | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | +12 | 18 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 7 | +14 | 15 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 13 |
| 4 | Bayer Leverkusen | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 13 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 13 |
| 6 | Below | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 13 |
| 7 | Brest | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 13 |
| 8 | Lille | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 13 |
| 9 | Borussia Dortmund | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 9 | +9 | 12 |
| 10 | Bayern Munich | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 8 | +9 | 12 |
| 11 | Atletico Madrid | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 12 |
| 12 | AC Milan | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 12 |
| 13 | Atalanta | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 11 |
| 14 | Juventus | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 11 |
| 15 | Benfica | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 10 |
| 16 | Monaco | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 10 |
| 17 | Sporty Lisbon | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 10 |
| 18 | Feyenoord | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 15 | -1 | 10 |
| 19 | ClubBruges | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 10 |
| 20 | Real Madrid | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 9 |
| 21 | Celtic | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 9 |
| 22 | Manchester city | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 8 |
| 23 | PSV | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 8 |
| 24 | Dinamo Zagreb | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 15 | -5 | 6 |
| 25 | Paris Saint Germain | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| 26 | Stuttgart | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 7 |
| 27 | Shaktar Donetsk | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 13 | -8 | 4 |
| 28 | Sparta Praha | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 18 | -11 | 4 |
| 29 | Sturm Graz | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 3 |
| 30 | Girona | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 10 | -6 | 3 |
| 31 | Crvena Zvezda | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 19 | -9 | 3 |
| 32 | RB Salzburg | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 18 | -15 | 3 |
| 33 | Bologna | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 2 |
| 34 | RB Leipzig | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 13 | -7 | 0 |
| 35 | Slovan Bratislava | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 21 | -16 | 0 |
| 36 | Young boys | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 22 | -19 | 0 |
AC Milan
Remaining schedule (all times US/East)
- January 22: AC Milan vs. Girona, 3 p.m
- January 29: Dinamo Zagreb vs. AC Milan, 3 p.m
The games haven’t always been easy, but AC Milan have now recorded four wins in their last four Champions League games and feel like one of the surest bets to progress to the knockouts. They will be the heavy favorites in their remaining two matches against Girona and Dinamo Zagreb, and with only one point separating them from the top eight, a direct passage to the round of 16 cannot be ruled out. The only question for Milan is whether the growing injury crisis will be a problem in a month’s time. Although Christian Pulisic’s injury is short-lived, it is still too early to know whether Alvaro Morata and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be on the sidelines. for a serious amount of time.
Panic level: 2/10
Juventus
Remaining schedule (all times US/East)
- January 21: Club Brugge vs. Juventus, 3 p.m
- January 29: Juventus vs. Benfica, 3 p.m
Thiago Motta’s Juventus have sometimes left more points on the table than they would have liked, but things are certainly going in their favor in the Champions League. They emerged from one of their toughest European games against Manchester City with a convincing 2-0 win and will be the favorites in their remaining matches, making them one of the top contenders for a place in the knockouts. Like Milan, they find themselves within easy reach of the top eight with just two points clear of Lille, so they will have plenty of motivation for a strong finish to the league phase.
Panic level: 3/10
Real Madrid
Remaining schedule (all times US/East)
- January 22: Real Madrid vs. Red Bull Salzburg, 3 p.m
- January 29: Brest vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m
Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Atalanta will instill renewed confidence in Real Madrid, who used the victory to slowly move up the league. They weren’t exactly the better side in Italy, but with their stars on the scoresheet they were a reminder that imperfection didn’t stand in their way to the Champions League and La Liga titles last season and that it wouldn’t necessarily be the case this time also the case. Real Madrid will be helped by the fact that one of their remaining games is against Red Bull Salzburg, one of this season’s punching bags in the Champions League, and they will still be the favorites against a high-flying Brest side on Matchday 8. However, the final match will likely still require Real Madrid to be at their best, meaning they are not out of the woods yet just now yet.
Panic level: 7/10
Manchester city
Remaining schedule (all times US/East)
- January 22: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City, 3pm
- January 29: Manchester City vs. Club Bruges
The good news for Manchester City is that they are still in the top 24 and one of their remaining games is against Club Brugge, who may now surpass them but will still be the underdogs on matchday 8. The bad news for Manchester City is that their form is terrible – the serial winners now have just one win in their last 10 and are being outplayed by teams of different calibers. There is plenty of time to get out of this rut, especially as Premier League sides are saddled with a lot of fixtures this time of year, but the alarming thing is that they haven’t done so yet. Pep Guardiola, the master tactician who has rightly earned a place in the history books, has yet to find a solution to this problem or even diagnose it properly. It potentially creates a make-or-break moment during their Matchday 7 trip to Paris in a must-win situation that few saw coming – and if they can’t resolve their issues now, it forces the question of whether they can will be able to do. all.
Panic level: 9/10
Paris Saint Germain
Remaining schedule (all times US/East)
- January 22: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City, 3pm
- January 29: Stuttgart vs. Paris Saint Germain, 3 p.m
Luis Enrique’s side may have finally recorded their first win since Matchday 1 against Salzburg on Tuesday, but they have failed to move from 25th place with two games remaining in the league phase. Their next Champions League match against City is a must-win, but the same goes for the final of the competition against Stuttgart. This young PSG must find a way to score goals in these big matches to avoid disaster, which will take real work over the next month. However, given how little testing they have in Ligue 1, it’s difficult to know how good this version of PSG is at the moment. Their form over the course of the Champions League season, especially after fielding one of the more difficult league stage schedules, raises serious questions about their ability to adapt to the competition. With City’s poor recent form and PSG’s favored status against Stuttgart, there’s no reason to rule them out yet, but PSG have a lot to prove when the Champions League returns in the new year.
Panic level: 10/10