The Champions League final will be played on May 30 in Budapest (Image: Getty)
Premier League sides face a crucial finale as the Champions League league phase reaches its climax. All except Arsenal have something significant at stake on the final matchday, with the Gunners already assured of a top-two spot following seven consecutive European victories.
Bottom meets top as Kairat travel to the Emirates Stadium in a dead rubber. Yet this fixture is very much the anomaly. Liverpool welcome Qarabag whilst Manchester City entertain Galatasaray in the North West, with qualification hanging in the balance. Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are all on their travels, facing Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively.
Here, the Express has taken a look at the state of play for Premier League clubs ahead of the final matchday.
Arsenal, mirroring their domestic form, sit atop the standings, three points ahead of Bayern Munich. Liverpool occupy fourth spot, level on points with Real Madrid but trailing on goal difference, with both sides three points behind the Bundesliga champions.
Tottenham Hotspur sit just one point behind the Reds whilst boasting a superior goal difference. Newcastle United are in seventh, one place above Chelsea and three ahead of Manchester City in 11th, though all three clubs are part of a congested group on 13 points.
Potential finishing positions
Arsenal are guaranteed to remain top unless Bayern Munich can overturn a five-goal deficit. They cannot be overtaken by any other side, ensuring at least a second-place finish.Liverpool could climb as high as second if they win and Bayern lose to PSV, accompanied by a seven-goal swing and a five-goal advantage over Real Madrid – assuming the 15-time European champions defeat Benfica.
However, defeat to Qarabag could see them plummet to 14th if ten results go unfavourably. Tottenham Hotspur have the potential to finish third with victory, provided Liverpool and Madrid drop points. Yet Spurs could tumble to 16th with defeat and 12 unfavourable results elsewhere.
Chelsea, Man City and Newcastle could all secure third spot with wins – if Liverpool, Madrid and Tottenham fail to win and they overcome the goal difference deficit. Conversely, they could slip to 17th or 18th with defeat and a dozen results going against them.
Premier League clubs are bidding to make the Champions League final at the Puskas Arena (Image: Getty)
What the final positions mean
The precise finishing positions within the top 24 will determine each club’s subsequent fixture schedule. Arsenal’s guaranteed top-two finish means they will host all second legs of their knockout round matches at the Emirates Stadium.
Liverpool will be eager to remain in the top four, which would secure home advantage for the second legs of any last-16 and quarter-final encounters at Anfield. All top-eight finishers will enjoy home advantage in the second leg against sides progressing through the play-off round.
The play-off fixtures are decided based on the teams’ finishes in the league phase. The team finishing ninth will face the 24th placed team, while the 10th placed team will compete against the 23rd, and this pattern continues until the 16th and 17th placed teams face off.
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Here are the dates for the upcoming rounds
Play-off draw: January 30.
Knockout play-offs: February 17-18 and 24-25.
Round of 16: March 10-11 and 17-18.
Quarter-finals: April 7-8 and 14-15.
Semi-finals: April 28-29 and May 5-6.
Final: Saturday, May 30 at Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.