We are down to the final games of the group stage in the UEFA Champions League, and that will give fans the chance to witness an excruciating fight for the final spots in the Round of 16.
As things stand, there are still four tickets to the next round available. Almost all groups have handed out their top spot, which leaves only five second-place spots to be determined. Top teams such as PSG and Manchester United are in clear danger of being eliminated, which will make this final week of action even more enticing.
Without further delay, we will give you a general scope of each group.
Bayern have already secured the top spot of the group, leaving the runner-up place up for grabs. Whoever wins between Copenhagen and Galatasaray will make it to the next round, and in the event of a loss for Manchester United, the English club would be eliminated from all European competitions this season. If the Danish club and the Turkish side draw their game, Manchester United would need to win in order to claim the runner-up spot in this group behind Bayern.
Arsenal and PSV are through to the next round, leaving Lens and Sevilla entangled in the fight for the Europa League spot. Mathematically, Lens could still have a chance, but PSV have an edge over the French side due to their win on Matchday 4.
Real Madrid are through, but the rest of the teams are still involved in the race to secure European football. As of now, Napoli are holding on to the second spot, but a loss against Braga would knock them out of the tournament. Meanwhile, Union Berlin need a win against Real Madrid to secure a spot in the UEFA Europa League, but if the scenario mentioned above happens, then they will be without continental football for the rest of the season. A draw between Napoli and Braga would see the Partenopei in the Round of 16 and Braga going to the Europa League if Union Berlin do not beat Real Madrid in the other fixture.
Both Inter and Real Sociedad are through to the next round, but the main thing to sort out will be which one of them will make it to that stage as group winners. For that, their game at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium will come in handy. The other match will also determine the team that plays in the Europa League, with Salzburg having the upper hand since they will host their match against Benfica.
Atlético and Lazio are already in the next round, but they still need to figure out who will make it to the KO phase in first place. The fixture at the Estadio Metropolitano will be where that is determined. On the other hand, Feyenoord have already secured their spot in the Europa League, and all they will try to do is to bid farewell to the tournament with a win against Celtic.
The Group of Death did not disappoint, and things will be rather complicated to predict as things stand. Borussia Dortmund are already through, but they need at least one point to secure the top spot in this group. If that happens, then PSG will have to pray for Newcastle to lose, as the Magpies could send them to the Europa League if they can defeat Milan in the other fixture. If Newcastle win and PSG lose their match, the French side will also be sent to the Europa League. On the other hand, Milan also need to win their match to make it to the next round, but they need PSG to drop the ball in their match, as a draw for Les Parisiens would benefit Luis Enrique's team due to the tiebreaker rules in the competition.
This is the only group where everything has been sorted out, as no one will take the top spot away from Manchester City, and RB Leipzig have secured their place as runners-up. Young Boys are already into the Europa League, as their tiebreaker with Crvena Zvezda gives them the upper hand even if they lost on Matchday 6.
The main thing to sort out here is who will join Barcelona in the next round, as the Blaugrana have already secured their spot in the KO stage. Whoever loses between Porto and Shakhtar will be demoted to the Europa League, but there could still be a bonus for Shakhtar, as a win by a wide margin combined with an unlikely loss by Barcelona could see them knock the Catalan side from the top spot. Antwerp will want to save face in their last outing of the group and final European game for the 2023-24 season.
Interested in following all fixtures taking place between Tuesday and Wednesday? Have a look at our dedicated UEFA Champions League page for further info.
