It will be an unprecedented Champions League’s Matchday 8 as all the teams will be playing at the same time on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City need to win in their last tie of the league phase to avoid the elimination from the tournament, while the race for the top eight is going to entertain us until the last minute of the games.
All the eyes will be in Manchester as the Citizens will host Club Brugge and will be forced to win to advance to the playoffs that will take place in February, while the race for the top eight will include 22 teams, as there is only a six-point margin between Arsenal (third on the table) and Stuttgart, who are currently 24th with 10 points. PSG, after winning 4-2 against Manchester City in a crucial tie in Paris on Matchday 7, are still risking their spot in the playoff and will need to win in Germany against Stuttgart.
Here’s what you need to know before the last matchday of the Champions League:
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Jonathan Johnson
How to watch
Paramount+ will have every minute of the action, with CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network offering supplemental coverage. Each day’s coverage begins with Champions League Matchday on CBS Sports Golazo Network before the UEFA Champions League Today pre-match show begins at 2 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network and Paramount+. Select matches will air on both CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network before the UEFA Champions League Today post-show airs on CBS Sports Network and Paramount+. CBS Sports Golazo Network will conclude coverage each day with new editions of Scoreline and the Champions Club. The Golazo Show will also air on Paramount+ during the late batch of games.
Champions League standings
Key: Positions 1-8 qualify for Round of 16 while positions 9-24 qualify for Knockout Phase Play-Offs and positions 25-36 are eliminated.
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | +13 | 21 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 11 | +15 | 18 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 16 |
| 4 | Inter | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 16 |
| 5 | Atletico Madrid | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 11 | +5 | 15 |
| 6 | AC Milan | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 15 |
| 7 | Atalanta | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 4 | +14 | 14 |
| 8 | Bayer Leverkusen | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 13 |
| 9 | Aston Villa | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 13 |
| 10 | AS Monaco | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 13 |
| 11 | Feyenoord | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 15 | +2 | 13 |
| 12 | Lille | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 13 |
| 13 | Brest | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 13 |
| 14 | Borussia Dortmund | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 1 | +8 | 12 |
| 15 | Bayern Munich | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 11 | +6 | 12 |
| 16 | Real Madrid | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 12 | +5 | 12 |
| 17 | Juventus | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 12 |
| 18 | Celtic | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 12 |
| 19 | PSV | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 12 |
| 20 | Club Brugge | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 11 |
| 21 | Benfica | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 10 |
| 22 | PSG | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 10 |
| 23 | Sporting CP | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 10 |
| 24 | Stuttgart | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 13 | -1 | 10 |
| 25 | Manchester City | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 13 | +2 | 8 |
| 26 | Dinamo Zagreb | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 18 | -8 | 8 |
| 27 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 | -6 | 7 |
| 28 | Bologna | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 5 |
| 29 | Sparta Prague | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 19 | -12 | 4 |
| 30 | RB Leipzig | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 14 | -6 | 3 |
| 31 | Girona | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 3 |
| 32 | Crvena Zvezda | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 22 | -10 | 3 |
| 33 | Sturm Graz | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 14 | -10 | 3 |
| 34 | RB Salzburg | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 23 | -19 | 3 |
| 35 | Slovan Bratislava | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 24 | -18 | 0 |
| 36 | Young Boys | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 23 | -20 | 0 |
Who has qualified?
Directly to round of 16: Liverpool, Barcelona
Round of 16 or knockout round playoffs: Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bayern Munich, Brest, Celtic, Dortmund, Feyenoord, Inter Milan, Juventus, Leverkusen, Lille, Milan, Monaco, Real Madrid
On the brink (Nine clubs fighting for six remaining playoff spots): PSV, Club Brugge, Benfica, PSG, Sporting, Stuttgart
Outside looking in: Manchester City (8 PTS; +2 GD), Dinamo (8 PTS; -8 GD), Shakhtar (7 PTS; -6 GD)
Eliminated: Bologna, Girona, RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade, Slovan Bratislava, Sparta Prague, Sturm Graz, Young Boys, Salzburg
Notable matchday 8 scenarios
- Liverpool guaranteed to win the league phase with at least a draw at PSV
- Barcelona win league phase with win and Liverpool loss
- Man City qualify for playoffs with win vs. Club Brugge
- Arsenal and Inter qualify for playoffs with win or draw
- Atletico Madrid, Milan and Atalanta qualify for top eight with a win
Matchday 8 TV schedule
All times Eastern
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