Dec 7, 2021 - Sports

Champions League: Five spots up for grabs

Data: UEFA; Table: Will Chase/Axios
Data: UEFA; Table: Will Chase/Axios

The final Matchday of Champions League group play begins Tuesday.

State of play: 11 teams have clinched a spot in the Round of 16 and 10 have been eliminated, leaving 11 teams fighting for the remaining five berths.

  • Clinched (11): Man City, PSG, Liverpool, Ajax, Sporting CP, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Man United, Chelsea, Juventus
  • Eliminated (10): RB Leipzig, Club Brugge, Borussia Dortmund, Beşiktaş, Sheriff Tiraspol, Shakhtar Donetsk, Dynamo Kiev, Young Boys, Zenit, Malmö
  • Still alive (11): Porto, AC Milan, Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, Benfica, Villarreal, Atalanta, Lille, RB Salzburg, Sevilla, Wolfsburg

Biggest games: All 11 teams whose fates are yet to be sealed take the field across Europe at 3pm ET today and tomorrow (Paramount+).

  • Today (3pm ET): Liverpool at AC Milan; Atlético Madrid at Porto
  • Tomorrow (3pm): Barcelona at Bayern; Dynamo Kyiv at Benfica; Villareal at Atalanta; Sevilla at RB Salzburg; Lille at Wolfsburg

What to watch:

  • Barcelona advances with a win over Bayern on Wednesday. If they lose, they'll need help from last-place Kyiv to avoid missing the knockout stage for the first time since 2004.
  • Group G is still wide open, with three points separating the table. Last-place Wolfsburg is guaranteed to advance with a win over first-place Lille, who in turn are guaranteed to be eliminated if they lose.

Go deeper: Every clinching scenario (ESPN)

Go deeper