The group stages of the Champions League, the Europa League and the Europa Conference League are over and the first set of European knockout draws have been made. We have analysed how the balls came out and what the pairings mean for each team’s prospects.
Real Sociedad and Manchester United have already qualified from Europa League Group E but top spot and an automatic last-16 berth is up for grabs. The Red Devils need to win by more than one clear goal to avoid heading into the knockout round play-offs.
Arsenal have to beat FC Zurich to make sure of topping Europa League Group A and going straight through to the last 16. The Gunners only prevailed 2-1 against the same opponents in Austria on Matchday 1 but did dominate proceedings, having 70% of possession.
Chelsea are already through to the Champions League knockout phase and only need a point against Dinamo Zagreb to wrap up top spot in Group E. However, the Blues should be determined to exorcise the demons of Saturday’s Premier League loss at Brighton and put on a show.
Real Madrid still need to beat Celtic at the Bernabeu to clinch top spot in Champions League Group F and will be hoping to avoid any dramas. Los Merengues are showing signs of wear and tear following a tough schedule, plus their home pitch has been in better shape.
Liverpool are safely through to the knockout rounds of the Champions League but have only a slim chance of pipping Napoli to top spot in Group A. The Reds would need to win by four clear goals, but they will be keen to bounce back from Saturday’s shock loss to Leeds here.
Tottenham know a point against Marseille will see them qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League. Harry Kane thought he had fired Spurs into the knockout stage in their last outing against Sporting Lisbon, but his last-gasp goal to make it 2-1 was ruled out by VAR.
Rangers need a point in their final Champions League group game against Ajax to avoid a piece of unwanted history. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side have lost all five matches with a goal difference of -18, putting them in danger of posting the worst ever group-stage record.
Liverpool will be looking for a response when they travel to Ajax on Wednesday night. The Reds’ mini revival came crashing to a halt on Saturday with a defeat at struggling Nottingham Forest, while Ajax have restored some confidence in their last two outings.
Tottenham need to ensure their season stays on track when they face Sporting on Wednesday night. Spurs’ defeat to Newcastle was their second in a row to leave them off the pace in the Premier League and they cannot afford to slip up again if they are to progress to the knockout stage.
Barcelona are on the brink of Champions League elimination and Bayern Munich can seal their fate on Wednesday night. Barca’s faint hopes of reaching the last 16 may be over by the time they take to the field, depending on the result in the earlier game between Inter Milan and Viktoria Plzen.
Napoli could heap more misery on mis-firing Rangers on Wednesday night. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side, off the pace in the Scottish Premiership, were beaten 3-0 by the Serie A side last month at Ibrox and have lost all four games in the group stage so far.
Arsenal will be aiming to return to winning ways and complete the double over PSV Eindhoven on Thursday night. The Gunners secured their place in the next round of the Europa League with a 1-0 win over the Dutch side last week, but were held by Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday.
Manchester United cannot afford to ease up if they are to clinch the all-important top spot in their Europa League group. Winning the group would see them go straight through to the last 16 rather than face a team eliminated from the Champions League in the play-off round but they trail Real Sociedad by three points with two games remaining.