Champions League: 25 teams await fate on final day
What's the story
The first-ever league phase of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 season is heading toward a thrilling finish, with 25 of the 36 teams still unsure of their fate in the tournament.
All the remaining 18 matches will start simultaneously at 1:30am (IST) tonight.
Out of these, 16 games have major implications for the teams involved.
Here's everything you need to know.
City
Man City could get eliminated
Manchester City are on the verge of being knocked out after losing 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain last week.
City are currently placed 25th in the 36-team table. To make an entry to the playoff round, Pep Guardiola's side must overcome Club Brugge at the Etihad.
City have been guilty of wasting their lead in this season's tournament.
They have 8 points from 7 matches (W2 D2 L3).
Premier League
What about the other Premier League teams?
Liverpool have already qualified for the knockout stages. They are top of the pile and won't be playing in the playoff round. The Reds own 21 points from 7 matches.
Arsenal are placed third and are likely to make it to the knockout stages by finishing in the top 8. They face Girona in matchweek 8.
Unai Emery's Aston Villa are already guaranteed a playoff berth. They are ninth at the moment with 13 points.
Qualification details
Knockout phase qualification and team standings
The top eight teams from the league phase will directly progress to the last 16, where they will be seeded.
They will face the winners of eight knockout play-off ties involving clubs ranked from ninth to 24th.
Teams finishing between ninth and 16th will be seeded for these playoffs, and face a team placed 17th to 24th.
Clubs ranked 25th or lower are eliminated without gaining entry into the Europa League.
Knockout implications
League table position impacts knockout stage
A team's position in the league table decides their opponents and possible match-ups in the knockout stage.
For example, Liverpool are now assured of a top-two finish, which means they will have a seeded route through to the last 16.
They will meet a team who finished between 15th and 18th in this round.
The exact opponent won't be known until after the playoffs.
Teams
A look at the teams
Teams guaranteed for Top 8: Liverpool, Barcelona.
Teams guaranteed for Top 24: Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Monaco, Feyenoord, Lille, Brest, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus, Celtic.
Teams who face uncertainty: PSV, Club Brugge, Benfica, PSG, Sporting, Stuttgart, Manchester City, Dinamo Zagreb, Shakhtar Donetsk.
Teams who are eliminated: Bologna, Sparta Prague, RB Leipzig, Girona, Red Star Belgrade, Sturm Graz, Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys.
Information
What about holders Real Madrid?
La Liga leaders and Champions League holders, Real Madrid, are placed 16th. They own 4 wins and three defeats from 7 matches. Real have 12 points. A win could see Real have a chance of claiming top 8 if certain results go their way. They are however likely to finish among top 16 if they avoid defeat against Brest.