UEFA Champions League qualification: Perfect Liverpool close to top eight finish as PSG and Man City fight for survival

With six UEFA Champions League matches played as 2024 draws to a close, the picture becomes clearer in the league stage as we approach the seventh and eighth rounds in early 2025. Liverpool are the only team that has won its six games. games for a total of 18 points, which puts them three behind Barcelona and literally in the waiting room to finish in the top eight. Although 10 points are expected to be enough for a top-24 finish and therefore a spot in the UCL playoffs, there is no guarantee because the seven teams capable of reaching or bettering the 10-point barrier are still within reach. his reach with a match to spare. With this in mind, the revised figure is likely to be 11, creating some great scenarios to look forward to in the new year. As this is a completely new format being played for the first time right now, there are likely to be more twists and turns, but the two undoubted teams advancing at the moment are Liverpool and Barcelona, ​​with only RB Leipzig, Young Boys and Slovan Bratislava. I’m sure I’ll come home.

We take a closer look as the two remaining games approach over the Christmas period.

Qualified teams

Liverpool and Barcelona: The Premier League leaders Merseysiders are one of only two teams guaranteed at least a playoff place, although they are almost guaranteed an automatic place in the last 16 if they finish in the top eight. With Lille (home) and PSV Eindhoven (away) to come and already six points clear of ninth place, it’s hard to imagine Slot’s team not automatically advancing. The more pertinent question might be whether the Reds end up winning all of their games, or at least remaining undefeated, given that they are already six wins in six with their toughest matches already played.

Eliminated teams

Leipzig, Young Boys and Slovan Bratislava: Few expected the Germans to perform as poorly as they have so far this season and things are likely to get worse for Red Bull with the fact that Salzburg are also expected to miss the cut after having experienced a dismal continental streak. Young Boys and Slovan Bratislava are less surprising, but have still struggled to compete with the currently eliminated trio, all useless with two games left to at least salvage some pride.

Surprise artists

Aston Villa, Brest and Lille: The current top eight were not expected to include the Premier League side and two Ligue 1 teams, but Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen and Inter currently share direct passes to the last 16 with the surprise trio. Of those three, although Lille OSC have had excellent results, it is difficult to argue against Stade Brestois 29 being the most impactful name in this position considering this is their first European foray. Villa’s turnaround under Unai Emery has been impressive, but as an EPL team, the money to compete at this level is difficult, if not impossible, for French clubs, making Brest and LOSC the real deal. winners.

Surprise fighters

Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain will have a basement battle on the penultimate day of matches when they meet in the French capital, something that few would have dared to predict at the start of the league phase. Yet here we are after six games with both teams struggling on either side of the elimination cut-off point and Luis Enrique’s men chasing Pep Guardiola’s side at the moment. Ligue 1 is currently being boosted by Monaco, Brest and Lille, and such a premature exit from Paris would be a blow to France’s UEFA coefficient performance, which has been respectable up to this point. The initial evidence, however, is that UEFA’s format change is actually making things interesting and the last two matches will be high stakes for teams like Les Parisiens. It can be argued that Real Madrid only have nine points so far, but that situation appears to be in the process of changing, while Bayern Munich might have been expected to occupy a place in the top eight rather than their current tenth place, just outside the calculation. .

Coefficient stories so far.

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

England are leading the hunt for an extra Champions League place next season thanks to their strong collective performances in the Premier League and the bigger question is who will join them rather than who could catch them. Italian Serie A teams could capture an additional second place in the UCL in as many seasons, as the Italians are currently the closest to keeping pace with the English teams. However, Portugal in third place should not be completely ruled out, although the margin is widening. When it comes to the top five places with coefficients, France’s Ligue 1 is holding off the Netherlands’ Eredivisie, which was a story in the making last year, and Italy’s Serie A remains behind the EPL in England with Spain third and Germany fourth, but trying to close the gap between La Liga and the Bundesliga.

Key games of the seventh round

All at 3 pm Eastern Time

• Tuesday, January 21: Liverpool against Lille and Atlético de Madrid against Bayer Leverkusen.
• Wednesday, January 22: Paris Saint-Germain against Manchester City and Feyenoord against Bayern Munich.

Although Liverpool against Lille, Atlético Madrid against Bayer Leverkusen, Feyenoord against Bayern Munich and even Monaco against Aston Villa deserve a mention, it is impossible to overlook PSG against City in the seventh round of matches. At best, this one takes on gargantuan proportions given the higher-than-usual stakes and the very real potential consequences of a defeat on both sides before that showdown at the Parc des Princes.

Classification

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.

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