Champions League group stage permutations: Who needs what to progress
The final round of Champions League group stage games kick off this week. A number of teams have secured their place in the next round of the competition, but there is still plenty to play for.
Here, we take a look at the permutations in Groups A-H ahead of Tuesday's action...
1. Man City - 12
2. PSG - 8
3. RB Leipzig - 4
4. Club Bruges - 4
Manchester City's 2-1 win over PSG at the Etihad Stadium last time out saw them wrap up top spot in Group A as they sit four points clear of the French side ahead of the final gameweek. However, it wasn't all doom and gloom for PSG either. Granted, they would have preferred to finish first for a favourable last-16 draw, but RB Leipzig's thumping 5-0 win over Club Bruges means Mauricio Pochettino's side are guaranteed a place in the next round of the competition.
Rather, the key permutation at play is who finishes third in Group A. RB Leipzig and Club Bruges are level on four points with a spot in the Europa League knockout stages up for grabs. RB Leipzig sit third at present owing to their better head-to-head record over Club Bruges - that 5-0 win in Belgium certainly counted for something - and they will finish third should they match Club Bruges' result.
However, should RB Leipzig draw with, or lose to, Manchester City, and Club Bruges beat, or draw with, PSG, depending on the result, then the Belgian side will leapfrog RB Leipzig into third and secure a place in the Europa League.
1. Liverpool - 15
2. FC Porto - 5
3. AC Milan - 4
4. Atletico Madrid - 4
Liverpool had already secured top spot ahead of their welcome of FC Porto last month, but the Reds made light work of the Portuguese side, winning 2-0 at Anfield. The question now is who joins them in the next round of the Champions League, with second spot up for grabs in Group B.
Porto play host to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night and that point they earned in Spain could prove crucial in midweek. They'll of course hope to not rue Mehdi Taremi's disallowed strike at the Wanda Metropolitano, the Iranian seeing a second half goal controversially ruled out, but a win at the Dragao would see them finish second. A draw may be enough to secure their spot in the next round of the competition, but they'll need Liverpool to beat AC Milan for that to happen.
Fourth-placed Atletico will have to do something only Liverpool have managed this season and win in Porto on Tuesday night and hope that the Reds can at the very least go through the group stages unbeaten in order to join Jurgen Klopp's side in the next round of the Champions League. For AC Milan, meanwhile, they'll need to beat Liverpool in Milan and hope for Atletico to at least draw with Porto in Portugal in order to finish second.
1. Ajax - 15
2. Sporting CP - 9
3. Borussia Dortmund - 6
4. Besiktas - 0
There is nothing at stake in gameweek six in Group C. Ajax are one of three teams with a 100% group stage record and their aim will be to ensure they make it six wins from six at Sporting CP's expense and see Sebastien Haller end the campaign as top scorer. The Ivorian has nine goals to his name from five outings and has marked every appearance with a goal, a decent return for a player in his debut season in the competition.
Sporting CP recovered well from back-to-back defeats to kick off Group C and their superior head-to-head record over Borussia Dortmund means they cannot be caught by the German side. Dortmund, meanwhile, are guaranteed a Europa League spot and they'll look to end a run of three successive Champions League defeats when they welcome bottom-placed Besiktas to the Westfalenstadion.
1. Real Madrid - 12
2. Inter - 10
3. FC Sheriff - 6
4. Shakhtar Donetsk - 1
It's all to play for at the top of Group D this week. Real Madrid and Inter have each secured their place in the next round of the Champions League, yet in finishing first, they'll have a favourable last-16 draw. Los Blancos are at home to Inter on Tuesday night and a draw at the Bernabeu will be enough to secure first.
Inter have also lost their last three meetings with Real Madrid, which doesn't make for great reading. Both teams are currently on an 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions, while a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday extended Real Madrid's winning streak to eight matches. The victory, though, came at a cost, with Karim Benzema forced off after just 17 minutes with a hamstring issue.
FC Sheriff travel to Ukraine to take on Shakhtar with the pressure off, safe in the knowledge they have secured a Europa League spot. Wins over Shakhtar and Real Madrid in gameweeks one and two means their efforts in the opening weeks of the group stages are rewarded with European football in the New Year.
1. Bayern Munich - 15
2. Barcelona - 7
3. Benfica - 5
4. Dynamo Kyiv - 1
Bayern Munich are one of three teams with a 100% record in the Champions League and they would love nothing more than to knock Barcelona out of the competition and into the Europa League at this stage. The Bavarian side eased to a 3-0 win at Camp Nou in September and it wouldn't be a shock to see them repeat the feat in Munich.
A win for Barcelona will guarantee a place in the next round of the Champions League, but even a draw could be enough provided Benfica fail to beat Dynamo Kyiv. Benfica haven't been great at home of late, losing three of their last five, and they come into Wednesday's game with morale low following a home 3-1 loss to rivals Sporting CP. That said, they are favourites to beat Dynamo Kyiv and they will finish second if the secure all the spoils against the Ukrainian side and Bayern don't lose to Barcelona.
1. Man Utd - 10
2. Villarreal - 7
3. Atalanta - 6
4. Young Boys - 4
Manchester United's 2-0 win over Villarreal last month means they have secured top spot in Group F owing to their superior head-to-head record over the Yellow Submarine. Villarreal and Atalanta lock horns in Bergamo to determine who will progress alongside United into the next round of the Champions League.
Atalanta are currently third in Group F but come into this must-win tie in good form. Indeed, they are unbeaten in 10 and have won five of their last six. They have won just two of their last six at home, but victory over Villarreal will see them finish second. Their Spanish counterparts, though, need to only avoid defeat to secure a place in the last-16.
The Europa League spot isn't settled either. Young Boys sit two points behind Atalanta and, if they manage to do the double over Manchester United, while Villarreal beat Atalanta, then the Swiss side will leapfrog the Serie A outfit into third.
1. Lille - 8
2. Salzburg - 7
3. Sevilla - 6
4. Wolfsburg - 5
There is everything to play for in Group G. Just three points separate the four teams coming into Wednesday's games, with Lille in the driving seat. The Ligue 1 outfit will ensure a top two finish with a draw, but can progress as group winners provided they beat Wolfsburg. The German side are bottom of Group G, however, they will finish second if they do beat Lille on home turf.
In the other group game, Salzburg host Sevilla and they would guarantee a top-two finish with a win over the La Liga side or a draw would be enough if Wolfsburg fail to beat Lille at the Stade Pierre Mauroy. For Sevilla, they, like Wolfsburg, have to win on Wednesday night in order to finish in the top two. They could yet progress as group winners, and they would need to beat Salzburg in Austria and for Wolfsburg to get the better of Lille.
1. Chelsea - 12
2. Juventus - 12
3. Zenit - 4
4. Malmoe FF - 1
Like Group D, the order of which Chelsea and Juventus progress is up for grabs. Chelsea top Group H coming into Wednesday's games given their better head-to-head record over Juventus, with their 4-0 win over the Old Lady last month key. They'll look to finish the job in Russia and they just need to match or better Juventus' result against Malmoe FF in order to go through as group winners.
For Juventus, they need to beat Malmoe FF, which they should do comfortably, and for Zenit to do them a favour in Russia and either hold Chelsea to a draw or secure all three points against the defending European champions.
