The Champions League and unadulterated drama go hand-in-hand.
Europe’s main competitors seldom fails to ship something however pleasure and chaos, with this season’s expanded and new-look format having regularly set pulses racing throughout the opening seven weeks of the inaugural league part.
Wednesday’s ultimate spherical of fixtures is unlikely to disappoint as European giants battle for his or her berth within the final 16 or knockout play-off spherical. Loads will probably be selected and there will probably be no scarcity of narratives.
Listed below are six issues to be careful for over the last spherical of league part matches.
Few would have anticipated Manchester Metropolis’s 2024/25 struggles and their underperformance has seeped right into a torrid European marketing campaign. Two wins, two attracts and three defeats have left them in a dangerous place, sitting exterior the highest 24 heading right into a ultimate encounter with Membership Brugge.
Victory will safe their spot within the knockout part however another final result will see them eradicated. Their Belgian opponents, in knockout rivalry themselves, needs to be unable to deal with the wealth of superstars. However this isn’t a Metropolis crew we recognise regardless of enhancements in current weeks.
Any slip-up will price them their place within the Champions League and see them fail to make the knockout stage of the competitors for the primary time since 2012/13.
Regardless of having now secured their place within the subsequent part, Actual Madrid had been in an identical place to Manchester Metropolis a number of weeks again. An underwhelming starting to the defence of their European crown left them in jeopardy they usually nonetheless might miss out on computerized qualification for the final 16.
Nonetheless, victory in a Matchday 8 conflict with French overperformers Brest may even see them breach the highest eight and Kylian Mbappe might be the difference-maker for Los Blancos towards the shock success story of this yr’s competitors.
The previous Paris Saint-Germain star returns to France in distinctive kind, having scored eight instances in his final 5 outings, together with a hat-trick on the weekend. Mbappe, who has additionally scored 9 targets in ten previous video games towards Brest, suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Lille on his most up-to-date French journey and can need to keep away from an identical final result on Wednesday.
Rangers have already confronted Tottenham and Manchester United in all-British duels within the Europa League this season however there have been no such battles within the Champions League to this point. That adjustments on Wednesday.
Aston Villa and Celtic, each of whom have secured at the least a knockout play-off spot, will lock horns in England’s west midlands as the previous search to complete within the high eight, with this being the primary aggressive fixture ever performed between these two former European champions.
It needs to be a feisty affair at Villa Park as Celtic face English foes for the primary time since 2016/17.
Arne Slot is aware of all about Liverpool’s upcoming Champions League opponents PSV Eindhoven. They’re the aspect who prevented his Feyenoord crew from successful the Eredivisie final season by accumulating a record-breaking factors whole.
Slot has solely confronted Heerenveen on extra events than PSV, whom he has battled 9 instances as a coach. He has a balanced document in these fixtures, successful, drawing and shedding three duels.
Liverpool have already secured their place straight by means of to the final 16 with seven wins from seven and want only a level to complete the league part in high spot.
However might PSV, who haven’t but assured their place within the knockout rounds, hand them their first Champions League defeat of the season on Slot’s Netherlands return?
Barcelona are the one different crew to have assured their place within the final 16 – though a number of groups are additionally just about sure of a high eight end – following a really bonkers and controversial 5-4 victory over Benfica final week. Raphinha’s late winner means they will breathe simply on Matchday 8 and will even safe high spot ought to they win and Liverpool lose.
They face an Atalanta aspect who’ve vastly impressed in Serie A and are nonetheless combating for a final 16 spot, even when they’re assured to at the least be within the knockout play-offs. Final time period’s Europa League winners are the second highest scorers within the Italian high flight and have netted a powerful 18 targets in seven European video games.
Barcelona’s excessive line of defense induced them repeated points towards Benfica however they’ve been in scintillating attacking kind. Equally, Atalanta are robust offensively however sometimes prone on the again, doubtlessly resulting in a chaotic and goal-laden affair in Catalonia.
Stuttgart vs Paris Saint-Germain is probably not the fixture most will tune into on Wednesday night time but it surely’s a match that would have seismic penalties. Either side at the moment sit within the high 24 however usually are not assured to progress, with the winner securing their place within the play-offs.
PSG’s victory over Manchester Metropolis final weekend put them in a promising place to qualify after a shaky marketing campaign however the French giants won’t discover a journey to MHPArena simple. Stuttgart have hammered struggling Younger Boys and Slovan Bratislava of their final two and have taken factors off Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund within the Bundesliga this time period.
Wednesday’s encounter could also be a thriller as either side know their jobs, but it surely might be just one that progresses to the knockout part.
