Last summer, fans and experts wondered what the new Champions League format would look like in practice. In debates and various media discussions, it was feared that a refreshed game system could be a misfire. On Wednesday, January 29, the last round of the first league phase will be played. And now you can safely say that there is no shortage of emotions!
A historic day is being prepared in LM. City and PSG will play for life
Before the last series of games of participation in the 1/8 finals from the 36-drużyna table, only FC Barcelona and Liverpool are certain. The teams from 27. Places down will play for the proverbial parsley, having no chance to take the play -off places. All the rest on Wednesday night will compete for participation in the knockout phase. Analysts have calculated that there are eight in a total of eight games in the spring.
This group included two giants – Paris Saint -Germain and Manchester City. Both teams faced each other in the previous round. Then, after an extremely exciting meeting, the Parisians won 4: 2, which further complicated the situation of the Pep Guardiola team. Before Wednesday matches this PSG It is “above the line” meaning promotion to the 1/16 finals. The English do not have this privilege at the moment.
The Luis Enrique team in the last round is waiting for the away clash with VFB Stuttgart. In the event of a draw or victory, PSG will guarantee participation in the play -offs by 1/8 of the final. If the Germans and the French share points, both teams will win promotion. The case will complicate when the players from Stuttgart sensationally fence the Ligue 1 masters.
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Then the fate of PSG will be in the hands of Club Brugge, which will play away with Manchester City. In the case of the Guardiola team, the plan is simple – only victory counts, because only it gives the Masters of England a place ensuring the game in the 1/16 final. This is the result of a powerful crisis that the team has been struggling with in recent months. Let us remind you that in the Champions League City players lost, even with 1: 4 with Sporting, and in the next meeting with Feyenoord they released a three -shift lead from their hands (3: 3).
All this meant that currently the English before the last round with eight points are only 25th, while PSG takes 22nd place, having two more stitches on their account. If today one of the teams will say goodbye to the Champions League at the league phase stage, we will witness great sensation. After all, both projects are directed by sheikhs, who in recent years pumped hundreds of millions of euros into both clubs. I am talking about the president of PSG Nassere Al-Khelaifie and the company Abu Dhabi United Group belonging to Szejk Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nyhyana, who runs Manchester City. VFB Stuttgart – PSG and Manchester City Club Brugge meetings will start with time. 21:00.
Here is the Champions League table before the last round
- Liverpool – Goals – 15: 2, 21 points
- FC Barcelona – 26:11, 18 points
- Arsenal – 14: 2, 16 points
- Inter Milan – 8: 1, 16 points
- Atletico Madrid – 16:11, 15 points
- AC Milan – 13: 9, 15 points
- Atalanta Bergamo – 18: 4, 14 points
- Bayer Leverkusen – 13: 7, 13 points
- Aston Villa – 9: 4, 13 points
- AS Monaco – 13:10, 13 points
- Feyenoord Rotterdam – 17:15, 13 points
- OSC Lille – 11: 9, 13 points
- Stade Brest – 10: 8, 13 points
- Borussia Dortmund – 19:11, 12 points
- Bayern Munich – 17:11, 12 points
- Real Madrid – 17:12, 12 points
- Juventus – 9: 5, 12 points
- Celtic Glasgow – 11:10, 12 points
- PSV Eindhoven – 13:10, 11 points
- Club Brugge – 6: 8, 11 points
- Benfica Lisbon – 14:12, 10 points
- PSG – 10: 8, 10 points
- Sporting CP – 12:11, 10 points
- VFB Stuttgart – 12:13, 10 points
- Manchester City – 15:13, 8 points
- Dinamo Zagreb – 10:18, 8 points
- Shakhtar Donetsk – 7:13, 7 points
- Bologna – 3: 8, 5 points
- Sparta Praga – 7:19, 4 points
- RB Leipzig – 8:14, 3 points
- Girona – 4:11, 3 points
- Crvena Zvezda Belgrade – 12:22, 3 points
- Sturm Graz – 4:14, 3 points
- RB Salzburg – 4:23 points
- Slovan Bratislava – 6:24, 0 points
- BSC Young Boys – 3:23, 0 points