UEFA Champions League standings: Perfect Liverpool close to top eight as PSG, Man City scrap for survival

With six UEFA Champions League matches played by the end of 2024, the picture is becoming increasingly clear in the competition phase as we head towards the seventh and eighth rounds in early 2025. Liverpool are the only team to have won all six of their matches. matches for a total of 18 points, putting them three ahead of Barcelona and literally in the waiting room for a top eight finish. Although it is expected that 10 points will be enough for a place in the top 24 and therefore a knockout place in the UCL, there is no guarantee as the seven teams capable of reaching or bettering the 10-point mark are all still are within reach with a match to spare. With that in mind, the revised figure is likely to come in at 11, creating some fantastic scenarios to look forward to in the new year. As this is a brand new format now being played for the first time, there will likely be more twists and turns, but the two undisputed teams advancing now are Liverpool and Barcelona, ​​with only RB Leipzig, Young Boys and Slovan Bratislava behind them. definitely home.

We’ll take a closer look as we get closer to the two remaining games over the Christmas period.

Qualified teams

Liverpool and Barcelona: The Merseysiders, who lead the Premier League, are one of only two teams guaranteed at least a play-off spot, although they are all but assured of an automatic round of 16 places via a top-eight finish. With Lille (home) and PSV Eindhoven (away) looming and already six points ahead of ninth place, it is difficult to see Slot’s team not automatically marching on. The more relevant question might be whether the Reds end up winning all their games – or at least going undefeated – given that they are already on a six-game winning streak and their tougher games have already been played.

Eliminated teams

Leipzig, Young Boys and Slovan Bratislava: Few expected the Germans to perform as poorly as they have so far this season, with matters likely to be made worse for Red Bull by the fact that Salzburg are also expected to miss the cut after also having a dismal run of continental form. Young Boys and Slovan Bratislava are less surprising, but have equally struggled to compete with the current eliminated trio, all pointless with two games left to salvage at least some pride.

Surprise artists

Aston Villa, Brest and Lille: The current top eight was not expected to include the Premier League team and two Ligue 1 sides, but Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen and Inter currently share direct passage to the round of 16 with the surprise trio. Of these three, while Lille OSC have achieved some excellent results, it’s hard to argue that Stade Brestois 29 is the biggest shock name in this position considering this is their first ever European foray. Villa’s turnaround under Unai Emery has been impressive, but as an EPL side, the money to compete at this level is difficult – if not impossible – for French clubs, making Brest and LOSC the real standouts.

Surprise fighters

Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have a basement battle in the penultimate round when they meet in the French capital, something that few people would have dared to predict at the start of the competition phase. Yet here we are after six games, with both sides struggling to reach the elimination cut-off point, with Luis Enrique’s men currently chasing Pep Guardiola’s side. Ligue 1 is currently buoyed by Monaco, Brest and Lille and the exit of Paris, so an early exit would be a huge blow to France’s UEFA coefficient performance, which has been respectable so far. However, the first evidence is that the UEFA shake-up is actually making things interesting and the final two games will be extremely high stakes for the likes of Les Parisiens. A case can be made that Real Madrid have only managed nine points so far, but that situation appears to be turning around, while Bayern Munich could have been expected to occupy a top eight position instead of their current tenth place net outside the bill. .

Coefficient storylines so far

• Additional UCL berth 1: England – 13,642 points – 7/7 clubs
• Additional UCL berth 2: Italy – 12,109 points – 8/8 clubs
• Currently third: Portugal – 11,755 points – 5/5 clubs

England are leading the hunt for an extra Champions League spot for next season thanks to their strong aggregate performances in the Premier League and the bigger question is who will join them rather than who can catch them. The Italian Serie A sides could secure a second additional UCL spot in as many seasons, as the Italians are currently the closest to leveling with the English sides. However, Portugal should not be completely excluded in third place, although the margin is widening. In terms of the top five coefficient places, the French Ligue 1 trails the Dutch Eredivisie, which was a development story last year, and the Italian Serie A lags behind the English EPL with Spain in third place and Germany in fourth, but tries to bridge the gap between La Liga and the Bundesliga.

Important matches of the 7th round

All 3pm ET

• Tuesday January 21: Liverpool vs. Lille and Atletico Madrid vs. Bayer Leverkusen.
• Wednesday January 22: Paris Saint Germain vs. Manchester City and Feyenoord vs. Bayern Munich.

Although Liverpool vs. Lille, Atletico Madrid vs. Bayer Leverkusen, Feyenoord vs. Bayern Munich and even Monaco vs. Aston Villa all deserve a mention, it’s impossible to get past PSG vs. City to watch in the seventh round. At the best of times, this takes on gargantuan proportions, given the higher-than-normal stakes and the very real potential consequences of a loss on either side in the match at the Parc des Princes.

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.

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