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The initial league phase for this year’s Champions League came to a close on a dramatic final night of action. Clubs up and down the table were swapping places throughout, with five of the six English sides that entered granted a top-eight berth.
Manchester City were the big movers of the night, jumping up from 11th at the start of play, to eighth following a 2-0 win over Galatasaray. They were heavily dependent on results elsewhere though, most notably a remarkable win for Benfica against record European champions Real Madrid.
But perhaps the most significant result of the night as far as the top-eight picture went, was Newcastle’s draw away to Paris Saint-Germain. The Magpies were always going to have an uphill battle against PSG, and despite holding the reigning European champions to a 1-1 draw, Eddie Howe’s side ended the night as the only English side outside of the top eight.
It means they’ll be forced to play an extra two matches in the play-off round, adding even more minutes to the legs of Newcastle’s already fatigued squad. And following the conclusion of the league phase, Express Sport have detailed which opponents the English teams involved in the competition could face in their respective knockout rounds.
Howe and co. will discover their fate during Friday’s (January 30) draw for the play-off round. They’ll be paired up against one of Qarabag or Monaco, and should they progress as a winner from that tie, will be treated to either Chelsea or Barcelona in the round of 16.
Just about sneaking into the top-eight picture, Pep Guardiola will be pleased that his side have an extra two matchdays off next month. But it will be no rest for the wicked when they return to Champions League action in March, as City’s last-16 opponents will be one of Bodo/Glimt, Benfica, Inter Milan or even Real Madrid!
Liam Rosenior’s side pulled out a gutsy win away to Napoli to ensure they’d make up part of the top eight, scoring late on, having trailed heading into the second half. Next up for them will be a round-of-16 tie against either Monaco, Newcastle, PSG or Qarabag.
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✅ Top 8: Into Round of 16
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Tottenham’s Champions League form has been in sharp contrast to their Premier League exploits, with Spurs finishing the league phase in fourth. As a result, they too have earned an extra two matchdays off, but are all but guaranteed a tricky last-16 tie. Their prospective opponents include Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, and Juventus.
Another side that have enjoyed the Champions League more than the Premier League this term, Liverpool cruised into the last-eight with a thumping win over Qarabag. Given they’re paired with Spurs in the bracket, they’ll also play one of Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray or Juventus.
And finally, the only English side that got their business done early, with Arsenal able to put their feet up for the final round of action. They enter the knockouts as the highest-ranked team and will therefore face either Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund or Olympiakos in the last-16. The good news for Arsenal is that they’re guaranteed to play all second legs of knockout ties at home for as long as they’re in the competition.