Table of Contents
Five games deep into the UEFA Champions League, the picture is becoming increasingly clear in the competition phase as we enter the sixth round. Liverpool are the only team to have won all five of their matches, with a total of fifteen points, putting them two ahead of unbeaten Inter. 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 this is a brand new format currently being played for the first time. Arne Slot’s men have certainly achieved that and should be joined by the Nerazzurri, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and unbeaten Atalanta BC. Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal, AS Monaco, Aston Villa, Sporting CP, Stade Brestois 29 and Lille OSC are also well positioned to progress beyond the competition stage. However, some big names find themselves at the wrong end of the table, with Paris Saint-Germain currently in an elimination position, while Real Madrid are barely in the top 24 and both have suffered three defeats. Red Bull duo Leipzig and Salzburg are also surprisingly low, while VfB Stuttgart, Bologna and Shakhtar Donetsk may surprise some.
We’ll take a closer look as the three remaining games get closer.
Qualified teams
Liverpool: So far the Premier League-leading Merseysiders are the only team guaranteed a place in the play-offs, although they could still – and almost certainly – book an automatic place in the round of 16 via a top-flight eight finish. With Girona (away), Lille (home) and PSV Eindhoven (away) on the way, it’s hard to imagine Slot’s side not automatically marching on and the more relevant question might be whether the Reds end up winning all their games or not. at least remain undefeated.
Surprise artists
Liverpool leading the way isn’t much of a surprise, but their combined Premier League and Champions League form does deserve further mention given Slot’s seemingly seamless transition to life at Anfield. Of the top eight, few would have bet on Ligue 1 side Monaco topping the table, while Atalanta are part of an unbeaten Serie A duo with Inter. From ninth, Aston Villa still find themselves within easy reach of the top eight, along with Sporting CP, Brest and Lille, where probably the most surprise lies when it comes to teams punching above their weight. Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Milan are also upwardly mobile, correcting the unexpected sluggishness following the recent rise in continental results.
Surprise fighters
You can’t escape the fact that PSG is the standout name here, with Luis Enrique’s men having been beaten by Arsenal, Atleti and now Bayern, but also held at home by PSV Eindhoven. With games against Salzburg, the unexpectedly vulnerable Manchester City and Stuttgart, there is a good chance that the French giants will not even progress to the knockouts. Ligue 1 is currently buoyed by the withdrawals of Monaco, Brest, Lille and Paris, so premature action would be a huge blow to France’s UEFA coefficient performance, which until recently was respectable. Real were not at all expected to occupy the final of the top 24, but they are two points better off than PSG, while City and Juventus are within two points of the defending UCL title holders. The first evidence is that UEFA’s shake-up is actually making things interesting and the final three games will be extremely high stakes for the likes of Les Parisiens.
Coefficient storylines so far
How the league stage affects that UEFA coefficient system has become something of a three-horse race of late, with England running away in first place in terms of a potential extra Champions League spot, followed by Portugal and Italy. The seven EPL teams have an advantage over their five Portuguese rivals, but the eight Italian representatives could well turn that tide, even if Bologna looks likely to reduce that number to seven. Germany’s Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga and France’s Ligue 1 are in a fairly evenly matched position with Belgium and the Czech Republic following in the chase, but it will be difficult to catch all three leaders even at this early stage – especially the English – with even the Germans quite a way back to fourth place from second or even third.
Important matches of the 6th round
All 3pm ET
- Tuesday December 10: Atalanta vs. Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen vs. Inter and RB Salzburg vs. PSG.
- Wednesday December 11: Arsenal vs. Monaco, Borussia Dortmund vs. Barcelona and Juventus vs. Man City.
The sixth round promises some absolute top games with unbeaten Atalanta, a very tough task for struggling Real on Tuesday, while Leverkusen tackling Inter could have consequences in the top eight and PSG are playing for their UCL lives in lowly Salzburg in Austria . Some of the most in-form teams will go head-to-head on Wednesday, with Arsenal hosting Monaco and Dortmund visiting Barcelona key to the top eight, while Juve vs. City is surprisingly a mid-table match.
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 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | +11 | 15 |
| 2 | Below | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 13 |
| 3 | Barcelona | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 5 | +13 | 12 |
| 4 | Borussia Dortmund | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 6 | +10 | 12 |
| 5 | Atalanta | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1 | +10 | 11 |
| 6 | Bayer Leverkusen | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 10 |
| 7 | Arsenal | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 10 |
| 8 | Monaco | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 10 |
| 9 | Aston Villa | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 10 |
| 10 | Sporty CP | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 10 |
| 11 | Brest | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 10 |
| 12 | Lille | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 10 |
| 13 | Bayern Munich | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 9 |
| 14 | Benfica | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 9 |
| 15 | Atletico Madrid | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 9 |
| 16 | AC Milan | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 9 |
| 17 | Manchester city | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 8 |
| 18 | PSV | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 8 |
| 19 | Juventus | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 8 |
| 20 | Celtic | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 8 |
| 21 | Feyenoord | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 7 |
| 22 | ClubBruges | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 7 |
| 23 | Dinamo Zagreb | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 15 | -5 | 7 |
| 24 | Real Madrid | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 6 |
| 25 | PSG | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 4 |
| 26 | Shaktar Donetsk | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | -4 | 4 |
| 27 | Stuttgart | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 4 |
| 28 | Sparta Praha | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 14 | -9 | 4 |
| 29 | SK Sturm Graz | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 3 |
| 30 | Girona | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 3 |
| 31 | Red Star Belgrade | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 17 | -8 | 3 |
| 32 | RB Salzburg | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 15 | -12 | 3 |
| 33 | Bologna | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 1 |
| 34 | RB Leipzig | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 10 | -6 | 0 |
| 35 | Slovenian Bratislava | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 18 | -14 | 0 |
| 36 | Young boys | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 17 | -15 | 0 |