The final week of the Champions League group stage is upon us. While some clubs can sit back and relax safe in the knowledge they are through to the next round, others find themselves fighting an uphill battle.
Arsenal and current champions Manchester City find themselves in the first category having both wrapped up top spot in their respective groups.
For fellow Premier League clubs Manchester United and Newcastle the outlook is very different.
Erik ten Hag’s side find themselves bottom of group A following their draw with Galatasaray.
Eddie Howe’s side were denied a win against PSG when Kylian Mbappe converted a late controversial penalty that has left the Magpies third.
Manchester United’s inability to hold on to a lead has left their qualification chances hanging in the balance
Newcastle’s late draw with PSG means that even with a win they need other results to go their way
Now both clubs will need to win their final game, and other results need to go their way in order for them to progress out of the group.
While a number of spots in the knockout rounds have already been snapped up there is still a lot to play for on the final matchday of the group stages.
Mail Sport breaks down the state of the play in each group
Group A
Manchester United find themselves in at the bottom of Group A with just the one win to show for their Champions League campaign.
And they will need somewhat of a miracle with qualification out of their hands, they will first need to beat Bayern Munich and hope for a draw between Copenhagen and Galatasaray.
Should they beat Bayern Munich and there is a winner in the other tie, then Erik ten Hag’s side will finish third.
Copenhagen will finish second should they avoid defeat against Tuesday’s opponents and Manchester United not win, while a win for Galatasaray will see them through.
| Position | Team name | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayern Munich | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| 2 | FC Copenhagen | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -1 | 5 |
| 3 | Galatasaray | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -2 | 5 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 4 |
Group B
Arsenal’s rout of Lens last time out has seen them wrap up top spot in Group B
Group B is a far more simple situation with Arsenal already sewing up top spot following their demolition of Lens on matchday five.
They will be joined in the next round by Dutch side PSV who’s head-to-head record with Lens is superior to the french side having beaten them 1-0 on matchday four.
Meanwhile, should Lens avoid defeat against Sevilla they will finish third and move into the Europa League.
| Position | Team name | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 12 |
| 2 | PSV | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | -2 | 8 |
| 3 | Lens | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -6 | 5 |
| 4 | Sevilla | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -4 | 2 |
Group C
Jude Bellingham (far right) has played a major role in Real Madrid’s perfect Champions League campaign so far
Real Madrid’s perfect record so far is enough to see them into the next round of the competition.
Napoli just have to avoid defeat against Sporting Braga, but the Portuguese side can finish second should they win by two goals.
| Position | Team name | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 15 |
| 2 | Napoli | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 7 |
| 3 | Sporting Braga | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -4 | 4 |
| 4 | Union Berlin | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -3 | 2 |
Group D
Real Sociedad face off with Inter Milan knowing they are already through but avoiding a loss will mean they are group winners
It is as straightforward as it gets in Group D, Real Sociedad will take on Inter Milan with the two tied on 11 points. The winner will seal top spot but a draw is enough for Sociedad.
Benfica are bottom of the group but a win by two goals will see them leapfrog RB Salzburg into third place.
| Position | Team name | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Sociedad | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| 2 | Inter Milan | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| 3 | RB Salzburg | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 4 |
| 4 | Benfica | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | -6 | 1 |
Group E
Antoine Griezmann has helped Atletico Madrid sit atop Group E and avoiding defeat against Lazio will mean they qualify top
Lazio and Atletico Madrid will decide who finishes top of their group as they play each other in the final match. Lazio need to win in order to finish first.
Feyenoord are heading for the Europa League while Celtic will be eliminated having failed to win so far.
| Position | Team name | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atletico Madrid | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 11 |
| 2 | Lazio | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 3 | Feyenoord | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | Celtic | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -11 | 1 |
Group F
Newcastle need to beat AC Milan when the Italians travel to St James’ Park but still need Borussia Dortmund to avoid defeat
Newcastle’s return to the Champions League saw them rewarded with the proverbial group of death and the Magpies – sitting third – will need help to make it through to the next round.
Eddie Howe’s side will need to beat AC Milan who visit St James’ Park on Wednesday and hope PSG are unable to win against the already qualified Borussia Dortmund.
A win for PSG will see them top the group and eliminate Newcastle regardless of their result.
Should AC Milan win and PSG lose, then the Italian side will finish second with PSG in third headed for the Europa League and Newcastle out of the tournament.
| Position | Team name | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Borussia Dortmund | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 2 | PSG | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | AC Milan | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -4 | 5 |
Group G
Manchester City are yet to drop points in the group stage and will waltz into the knockout rounds full of confidence
There’s not much to discuss for Group G, where every position has been decided before a ball is kicked.
Manchester City will go through as group leaders to be joined by RB Leipzig. Young Boys are set for the Europa League in third wile Red Star Belgrade will finish bottom even if they beat Leipzig due to Young Boys’ superior head-to-head record.
| Position | Team name | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 15 |
| 2 | RB Leipzig | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| 3 | Young Boys | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 4 |
| 4 | Red Star Belgrade | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | -7 | 1 |
Group H
Barcelona will return to the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in three years
Barcelona’s 12 points will be enough for them to make it to the knockout rounds for the first time in three years.
This is because Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk – both on nine points – will face each other; should Shakhtar win they will make it through to the next round.
The only way Xavi’s side cannot win the group is with a loss against Royal Antwerp and a Shakhtar win, with the Ukranian side holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.
| Position | Team name | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 12 |
| 2 | FC Porto | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 9 |
| 3 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| 4 | Royal Antwerp | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | -12 | 0 |
