Champions League Stage Finale Preview
The end of the highly debated Champions League Group Phase is set to play its final game this season with all eighteen games to be played at the same time at 20:00 this Wednesday!
The Swiss Model format aims to ensure that most matches in a tournament remained significant until the very end of the league stage. 16 of the final 18 games offering something meaningful to play for. The only exceptions being Young Boys vs. Red Star Belgrade and Sturm Graz vs. RB Leipzig, as all four teams had a 0% chance of progression.
In this article we will highlight what is at stake for British teams involved in the final game week.
Aston Villa v Celtic
In this battle of Britian, Aston Villa will be wanting to avoid the extra fixtures this season with a win against their Scottish neighbours. The Birmingham side has already been damaged and bruised by the European fixture congestion with important players such as Onana, Pau Torres, Hause, and McGinn all doubtful for this fixture and beyond.
Unai Emery’s side will secure automatic qualification to the round of 16 if they beat Celtic and one of Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Atlanta or Bayer Leverkusen to fail to win their final league phase games. Regardless of the result, Champions League knockout football should be a cherished achievement with it being Villa’s first campaign in back in Europe’s topflight competition in 40 years.
Across the border Brendan Rodgers’ Hoops will hope that the extended rest courtesy of Storm Eowyn prior to this clash will only add to their successes of qualifying for European knockout football for the first time in 13 years.
Manchester City v Club Brugge
The new Swiss format, designed to favour teams of Manchester City’s caliber, has left them facing the very real threat of elimination from the league altogether.
Pep’s side have found themselves as the only British side uncertain of progression with them sitting outside of the play-off rounds in the final game week and in need of a win against an inspired Club Brugge who seeks to extend their 20-game unbeaten run. Any other result against the Belgium Champions will see City out of the competition.
City’s dropped points to PSG, Juventus, Feyenoord, Sporting CP, and Inter have cost them dearly and Pep has admitted that the table is a clear reflection of their form.
Despite the anxieties surrounding the fixture, the match facts point to a routine City win. (Courtesy of the BBC)
- Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 33 UEFA Champions League matches at the Etihad (W28 D5), although three of their last four have ended as stalemates, losing a three-goal lead against Feyenoord to draw 3-3 last time out.
- Club Brugge have never won away to English opposition in European competition in 14 previous attempts (D2 L12 – qualifiers included); only RSC Anderlecht (19 games) and Dynamo Kyiv (15 games) have played more such games without ever recording a win in England.
- Manchester City won both of their previous meetings with Club Brugge, winning 5-1 away and 4-1 at home during the 2021-22 UEFA Champions’ League group stage.
PSV v Liverpool
Arne Slots Liverpool are one of two teams to qualify for the round of 16 this season with the Reds winning seven from seven.
Slots side only requires draw to lock up a first placed finish for the first ever league phase.
Their number one seed means they will be in contention to play Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus, or Celtic depending on the knockout phases.
Peter Bosz side sit top of the Eredivisie and has faced Arne Slot’s Feyenoord four times in previous seasons with Slot winning once in four attempts. Although PSV have never beaten Liverpool in the previous six attempts.
Girona v Arsenal
Arsenal has all but secured their spot in the Champions League round of 16, with a matchup against 31st-placed Girona on the horizon.
This marks the first-ever meeting between the Gunners and the Catalan side, who are competing in their debut Champions League season. Arsenal is widely expected to progress comfortably past Girona.
The Gunners have dominated their campaign so far, easily overcoming Shakhtar Donetsk, Sporting CP, Monaco, and Dinamo Zagreb. According to Opta data, Arsenal currently holds a 14% chance of winning the entire competition — the third-highest likelihood among all teams.
Here are the Opta Supercomputer projections after tonight’s games and with just one matchday remaining of the UEFA Champions League league phase in 2024-25.
Keep up to date on https://t.co/EZ2xKssZGg ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/yoJYbJOBry
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) January 22, 2025
The draw for the play-off round is on 31 January at 11:00 GMT.
Credit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/c74ezgpz5npt
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