Champions League Standings 24/25: the 16 teams qualified for the playoffs

The last matchday of the group stage of the UEFA Champions League confirmed the 16 clubs that will compete in the 'play-off' to complete the final list of teams qualified for the round of 16. There, Liverpool, FC Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atlético de Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, LOSC Lille, and Aston Villa await their rivals. To do this, an extra two-legged tie will be played between February 11 and 19, with a draw to be held this Friday, January 31.

In this sense, several 'heavyweights' will have to play the playoffs to avoid an early exit from the tournament. On Wednesday, there were no major surprises, but there was some drama to complete the TOP-8 and the consequent TOP-24, with those directly qualified for the round of 16 and the 'play-off'. The one who suffered the most at the start of the day was Manchester City, who went into halftime losing at home to Bruges, a result that left them out of contention.

In the end, the 'cityzens' and the rest of the favorites stayed alive, although it is surprising to see teams like Lille and Aston Villa in the TOP-8 instead of other usual qualifiers for the 'KO' phase like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. The 'merengues', in fact, will be in the playoffs along with the current runner-up (Borussia Dortmund) and the champion of 2022-23, City. Other past champions of the tournament, such as Juventus, Benfica, and AC Milan, will also play in January. However, the conditions are not the same for everyone.

Eight teams have an advantage for Friday's draw

According to the new format, teams ranked 9th to 16th will have the advantage of playing the second leg of the 'play-off' at home. This applies to Atalanta (9th), Dortmund (10th), Real Madrid (11th), Bayern (12th), AC Milan (13th), PSV Eindhoven (14th), Paris Saint-Germain (15th), and Benfica (16th). The Bergamasque team was just short of the TOP-8 after their draw against Barcelona (2-2).

Dortmund, for its part, did its homework at home against Shakhtar (3-1), but it was not enough to qualify directly for the round of 16. The same happened to Madrid and Bayern, who, like Atalanta, finished with 15 points after defeating Brest (0-3) and Slovan Bratislava (3-1), respectively. A little further back, with 14 points, was PSV, who took advantage of Liverpool's relaxation (3-2) to finish in 14th place, ahead of a Milan unable to secure at least a point against Dinamo Zagreb (2-1).

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This is how the matchups for the round of 16 and the 'play-offs' of the Champions League 24/25 look

The 'rossoneri' would have gone directly to the round of 16 had they won in Croatia. PSG and Benfica finished with 13 points each, both benefiting from their away victories against Stuttgart (1-4) and Juventus (0-2). The goal difference favored the French and Portuguese against Monaco, Brest, and Feyenoord, all with 13 points but lower in the table. Juventus and Celtic ended up lower, with 12 points.

Manchester City faces a very difficult path

Just after the Scots, City squeezed in, having to come from behind to defeat Bruges (3-1). However, Pep Guardiola's side has little to celebrate, as in the playoffs they are forced to face Real Madrid or Bayern Munich. Celtic, on the other hand, could be the saving grace for the Bavarians and 'merengues' in their quest to avoid the 'sky blue' team. If they advance to the round of 16, the English will also have no respite in the round of 16, where they will face Atlético de Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen.

Interestingly, the path for the last two teams qualifying for the 'play-off' is more lenient. Sporting CP and Bruges fell on the matchday, but took advantage of Stuttgart's defeat to remain within the TOP-24. Dortmund and Atalanta will be their rivals in the quest for a spot in the round of 16, where Aston Villa and LOSC Lille await.

The 16 clubs that will compete in the 'play-off' in February

1. Atalanta
2. Borussia Dortmund
3. Real Madrid
4. Bayern Munich
5. AC Milan
6. PSV Eindhoven
7. Paris Saint-Germain
8. Benfica
9. AS Monaco
10. Stade Brest
11. Feyenoord
12. Juventus
13. Celtic
14. Manchester City
15. Sporting CP
16. Bruges

Teams that will play the second leg of the 'play-off' at home.