Final CL League Phase Matchday Preview
This evening is a special one in European football, with 18 matches to be played at the same time on the final matchday of the CL League Phase. With so many games to look forward to later tonight, let’s take a closer look at the situation in the standings ahead of the decisive fixtures!
The change of the CL format in the 2024/25 season introduced the League Phase, replacing the traditional group stage of the tournament. This meant we said goodbye to the classic groups of four teams playing each other home and away in favour of a League Phase including all the teams in the tournament and 8 matches per team, all of them against different clubs.
The change to a League Phase format means that every match played influence all the teams in the tournament, so gone are the days of groups where two teams control the proceedings with the potential of everything having been decided ahead of the final matchday.
In the new League Phase, the top 8 teams qualify directly to the Round of 16, with the teams finishing 9 – 24 all going into a two-legged knockout phase play-off, with the winners joining the top 8. The first 5 tiebreakers in the League Phase if teams are level on points are as follows: Goal Difference, Goals Scored, Away Goals Scored, Wins, Away Wins.
Let’s first take a quick look at the standings ahead of the final matchday:
| Team | Matches | GD | Points |
| 1. Arsenal | 7 | 18 | 21 |
| 2. Bayern Munich | 7 | 13 | 18 |
| 3. Real Madrid | 7 | 11 | 15 |
| 4. Liverpool | 7 | 6 | 15 |
| 5. Tottenham | 7 | 8 | 14 |
| 6. PSG | 7 | 10 | 13 |
| 7. Newcastle | 7 | 10 | 13 |
| 8. Chelsea | 7 | 6 | 13 |
| 9. Barcelona | 7 | 5 | 13 |
| 10. Sporting CP | 7 | 5 | 13 |
| 11. Man City | 7 | 4 | 13 |
| 12. Atlético Madrid | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| 13. Atalanta | 7 | 1 | 13 |
| 14. Inter | 7 | 6 | 12 |
| 15. Juventus | 7 | 4 | 12 |
| 16. Borussia Dortmund | 7 | 4 | 11 |
| 17. Galatasaray | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| 18. Qarabag | 7 | -2 | 10 |
| 19. Marseille | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| 20. Bayer Leverkusen | 7 | -4 | 9 |
| 21. Monaco | 7 | -6 | 9 |
| 22. PSV | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| 23. Athletic Club | 7 | -4 | 8 |
| 24. Olympiacos | 7 | -5 | 8 |
| 25. Napoli | 7 | -5 | 8 |
| 26. FC Copenhagen | 7 | -6 | 8 |
| 27. Club Brugge | 7 | -5 | 7 |
| 28. Bodo | 7 | -2 | 6 |
| 29. Benfica | 7 | -4 | 6 |
| 30. Pafos FC | 7 | -6 | 6 |
| 31. Union St. Gilloise | 7 | -10 | 6 |
| 32. Ajax | 7 | -12 | 6 |
| 33. Eintracht Frankfurt | 7 | -9 | 4 |
| 34. Slavia Prague | 7 | -11 | 3 |
| 35. Villarreal | 7 | -10 | 1 |
| 36. Kairat Almaty | 7 | -14 | 1 |
The current top 8
Looking at the current top 8, there are two teams that have secured their place in the Round of 16 ahead of the final matchday, namely Arsenal and Bayern Munich. The English league leaders have won all their 7 matches so far, and are heavy odds favourites to beat Kairat in their final match this evening in London as well.
Behind the top two teams, the following 13 teams are guaranteed at least a spot in the two-legged knockout phase play-off: Atalanta, Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Inter, Juventus, Liverpool, Man City, Newcastle, PSG, Real Madrid, Sporting CP and Tottenham.
Out of these teams, the following teams are favourites to end up in the top 8:
Liverpool – 1.02
Real Madrid – 1.11
Barcelona – 1.14
PSG – 1.40
Atlético Madrid – 1.72
Man City – 1.80
Tottenham – 1.83
After these 7 teams, there is a slight jump down to the next team, Chelsea at 2.60. The London club are away at Napoli in their final match, and despite Napoli being a strong team at home, Chelsea are slight favourites in that match.
Liverpool host Qarabag and are expected to grab the result they need to secure a top 8 finish, while Real Madrid are away at Benfica. Barcelona host FC Copenhagen, while defending champions PSG host Newcastle. Atlético Madrid are playing at home against Bodo, while the final two aforementioned favourites to finish top 8, Man City and Spurs, are away at Club Brugge and Eintracht Frankfurt, respectively.
Out of the teams mentioned above in the odds overview, only Barcelona and Atlético Madrid are outside of the top 8 ahead of the final matchday.
We have plenty of CL outrights out, including top league stage team from Spain and Italy, winning nation and top goalscorer.
Top Matches
There are plenty of big matches to look forward to this evening, so let’s take a look at a few of them. As mentioned, due to the nature of the League Phase format, every match could influence any team’s position in the standings, but there are a few matches that definitely will be drawing some extra attention this evening. Let’s have a quick look at a few of them!
Borussia Dortmund – Inter
Borussia Dortmund are 1 point behind Inter ahead of the final match, meaning they’ll leapfrog the Italian league leaders with a win at home tonight. The German team are the team highest in the standings that are not guaranteed at least a place in the two-legged knockout phase, so they’ll be desperate to grab a win in front of their supporters this evening. Inter are odds favourites at 2.42, with Borussia Dortmund at 2.95. In addition to this, the odds of both teams to score are at 1.50, with over 2.5 goals at 1.65.
PSG – Newcastle
Defending champions PSG and Newcastle are both guaranteed at least a place in the knockout phase, but they’ll both be hoping to grab a win and a top 8 finish here. PSG are clear favourites to manage this, with the odds of them making a top 8 finish at 1.40, whereas Newcastle are at 5.00.
PSG are at 1.60 to win this evening’s top match in the French capital, with Newcastle at 4.80. The odds of over 2.5 goals is at 1.34, with both teams to score at 1.43.
Napoli – Chelsea
Chelsea are guaranteed at least a knockout phase playoff spot, but they’ll be hoping to hang onto their top 8 spot this evening when they face Napoli away. The hosts are currently in 25th place in the standings, meaning they need a result tonight to grab a playoff spot. Despite Napoli being a solid team at home, they are underdogs on the odds tonight at 3.45, with a Chelsea win at 2.10.
The odds on over 2.5 goals in this match is at 1.92, with both teams to score at 1.75.
Arsenal – Kairat
The last match we’ll mention might not be the most interesting in terms of qualification to the next stage, but it’s worth noting that Arsenal could become the first club to win all 8 matches of the League Phase, given that no team managed that feat last season when they new format was introduced.
Lastly, only four teams are guaranteed elimination ahead of tonight’s fixtures, namely Eintracht Frankfurt, Kairat, Slavia Prague and Villarreal.
Enjoy tonight’s big football day!
Last Updated: 28.01.2026
