The final stages of the UEFA Champions League beckon as Europe’s top teams kick out penalties in the final match of the group stage on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Four places in the round of 16 are yet to be confirmed, with Tottenham Hotspur, Sporting Lisbon, Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille, AC Milan, Salzburg, Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk all vying for a spot in the knockout stages.
Napoli, Liverpool, Club Brugge, Porto, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica have qualified for the next round.
There are eight groups, four teams each, and the top two teams in each group will advance to the next round.
Here’s how it stands in each group and what action will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday:
Group A
Tuesday 20:00 GMT
- Liverpool v Napoli
- Rangers v Ajax
With Napoli and Liverpool already qualified, all eyes in Group A are on Tuesday’s game between Rangers of Scotland and Ajax of the Netherlands.
Rangers have failed to win a game this campaign so far, and will need to beat Ajax by at least five goals to knock them out of third place in the table and secure a spot in the Europa League.
Group B
Tuesday 17:45 GMT
- Bayer Leverkusen v Club Brugge
- Porto v Atlético Madrid
Atletico Madrid will finish in this group’s position unless Bayer Leverkusen has a better result. If Atletico hold Porto to a draw, Bayer Leverkusen will need to beat Bruges to take third place. But, should Atletico lose, a draw would be enough to see Leverkusen play at European level next year.
Club Brugge will top Group B if they face off or the result is better than Porto – otherwise Porto will top the group. Both are eligible.
Group C
Tuesday 20:00 GMT
- Bayern Munich v Inter Milan
- Viktoria Plzen v Barcelona
You can skip these games tonight, unless you’re a die-hard fan. All positions in the group have been confirmed.
Bayern top the table with five wins from five so far; Inter is second. Barcelona will play in the Europa League next year, while Viktoria Plzen is sidelined.
EASY group
Tuesday 20:00 GMT
- Marseille v Tottenham
- Sporting Lisbon v Eintracht Frankfurt
Now here are the matches you want to watch on Tuesday. Group D remains the most open. All four teams can still qualify with a win tonight – and anyone can still top the group.
Tottenham and Sporting Lisbon only need a draw to secure their place in the next round, but a loss to the London side would see them finish in third place and a season in the Europa League.
Group E
20:00 Wednesday, GMT
- Chelsea v Dinamo Zagreb
- AC Milan v Salzburg
With Chelsea already qualified, Milan need only a draw against Salzburg to qualify for second place. However, a win for Salzburg would put them in second place.
If, by a twist of fate, Zagreb beat Chelsea, and Milan beat Salzburg, Zagreb could still move past the bottom of the table to qualify for the Europa League.
Group F
Wednesday 17:45 GMT
- Real Madrid v Celtic
- Shakhtar Donetsk v Leipzig
Real Madrid have qualified and Celtic are gone. So while this could be a great game, it has no consequences for the Champions League.
In the other game of this group, however, a win for Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk would see them finish second and qualify for the knockout stages, while Leipzig need just a draw to qualify. to sue. The loser of this match will be relegated to play in the Europa League next year.
WOOD Group
20:00 Wednesday, GMT
- Manchester City vs Seville
- Copenhagen v Borussia Dortmund
Like Group C, this group is now over, with Man City and Dortmund qualifying for the first and second, Sevilla in the Europa League, and Copenhagen out.
Family group
20:00 Wednesday, GMT
- Juventus v Paris Saint-Germain
- Maccabi Haifa v Benfica
PSG and Benfica have come through, but their performances on Wednesday will decide who comes first or second in the table.
Juventus and Maccabi Haifa have each won just one of the five matches played so far, and like the other matches in this group, the team with the most points on Wednesday will finish third, with a place in the competition. attend the Europa League.
