The new league phase has officially caused plenty of drama in the UEFA Champions League, leaving several European heavyweights in a dangerous position with three games left to book a place in the knockout rounds.
Although the league phase guaranteed tough competition for teams of all levels, few would have predicted that Real Madrid and Manchester City would find themselves in difficult situations after matchday five. However, they are far from the only ones whose hopes of moving forward could be dashed. Down to the wire: Paris Saint-Germain are surprisingly outside the top 24, while RB Leipzig are still waiting for their first point in the Champions League this season.
Those in the top eight right now (including top-tier teams like Liverpool and Barcelona and surprise contenders like Monaco and Atalanta) have elimination in their sights, but for the rest, there’s still plenty of work to do. There is reason to panic for many teams outside the top eight, but their concerns definitely vary.
As the league phase nears its conclusion, that’s how panicked Europe’s best teams should be.
Champions League standings
Key: Positions 1 to 8 qualify for the round of 16, while positions 9 to 24 qualify for the Play-Offs of the knockout phase and positions 25 to 36 are eliminated.
| Pos. | Equipment | family doctor | W. | d | l | bride | Georgia | God | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | +11 | 15 |
| 2 | Bury | 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 | Villa Aston | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 10 |
| 10 | Sporting Lisbon | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 10 |
| 11 | Brest | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 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 | Atlético de Madrid | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 9 |
| 16 | AC Milan | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +2 | 9 |
| 17 | city of manchester | 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 | Club Bruges | 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 | Paris Saint Germain | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 4 |
| 26 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | -4 | 4 |
| 27 | Stuttgart | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 4 |
| 28 | Sparta Prague | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 14 | -9 | 4 |
| 29 | Sturm Graz | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 3 |
| 30 | Girona | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 3 |
| 31 | Red Star | 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 | Bratislava Slovakia | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 18 | -14 | 0 |
| 36 | young boys | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 17 | -15 | 0 |
Let’s assign panic levels to big dogs that are in trouble. One has very little reason to worry, while 10 is full panic mode and changes are needed immediately.
Bayern Munich
Remaining schedule (all US/Eastern times):
- December 10, 3:00 p.m.: Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Bayern Munich
- January 22, 3:00 p.m.: Feyenoord vs. Bayern Munich
- January 29, 3:00 p.m.: Bayern Munich vs. Slovan Bratislava
It hasn’t been easy for Bayern Munich in the league stage so far, but aside from their 4-1 loss to Barcelona, they have generally been the better team in each of the games they have played so far. . They have earned a firm place in the top 24 and the top eight is still within reach, putting them in a strong position to advance. That is without taking into account the next calendar, which is very favorable for the German giants.
Panic level: 4/10
real Madrid
Remaining schedule (all US/Eastern times):
- December 10, 3:00 p.m.: Atalanta vs. real Madrid
- January 22, 3:00 p.m.: Real Madrid vs. RB Salzburg
- January 29, 3:00 p.m.: Brest vs. real Madrid
With just six points out of 15 and sitting in 24th place, a place in the top eight looks out of reach at the moment, even if a place in the knockout rounds is within reach. The good news for Real Madrid is that they are certainly good enough to win any of their remaining games, even if Atalanta surprisingly sneak into the top eight and Brest are not far behind in 11th place. The bad news It’s that the reigning European champions are not playing like a heavyweight and they need to figure out how to fix that to really take advantage of the opportunity presented to them.
Panic level: 7/10
city of manchester
Remaining schedule (all US/Eastern times):
- December 11, 3:00 p.m.: Juventus vs. Manchester City
- January 22, 3:00 p.m.: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City
- January 29, 3:00 p.m.: Manchester City vs. Club Brugge
Manchester City are doing slightly better than Real Madrid with eight points, but the situation is tremendously similar: the 2023 champions have the ability to beat anyone, but they are certainly not playing like that. However, unlike Madrid, City’s remaining schedule is filled with some obvious challenges. Juventus have conceded just five goals this season, which could make things difficult for an increasingly stifled City attack, while Paris Saint-Germain’s desperation for points could make their Matchday 7 encounter an interesting one. Pep Guardiola and company have enough to get out of this hole, but they are really going to need to prove it with three games left in the league phase.
Panic level: 8/10
Paris Saint Germain
Remaining schedule (all US/Eastern times):
- December 10, 3:00 p.m.: RB Salzburg vs. Paris Saint-Germain
- January 22, 3:00 p.m.: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City
- January 29, 3:00 p.m.: Stuttgart vs. Paris Saint-Germain
If there was a prize for the surprise team outside the top 24, PSG would be the obvious choice. They arguably had the worst luck after being entered to face Arsenal, Bayern and Manchester City in the league stage, but there have been few positives to take away from this Champions League season so far. They have just one win out of five, which does little to inspire confidence in Luis Enrique’s post-Kylian Mbappé rebuild, even in the only game they won. They can still turn things around and find a place in the top 24, but they have no points to waste with three games left, so the games against RB Salzburg and Stuttgart are essentially must-wins. However, PSG might also need to wait for City’s form to continue for another two months because they might also need something from that crucial match.
Panic level: 9/10
