Champions League draw – who Liverpool and Arsenal can face in quarter finals

The final round of fixtures in the Champions League group phase are right around the corner, with all six English teams vying for automatic qualification to the knockout rounds

The Champions League group phase table is on a knife-edge ahead of a potentially chaotic final matchday next week. All 36 teams now have only one game left as those near the top aim to secure passage for the knockout stages.

All 18 fixtures will kick off simultaneously – 8pm on Wednesday, January 28. Six Premier League sides are involved, with five of them currently positioned in the top eight.

Teams finishing in the top eight earn seeding and automatically advance to the round of 16, while those in ninth to 24th place must compete in a two-legged playoff to join them.

Arsenal are already almost certain to finish top thanks to a strong goal difference, while Liverpool and Tottenham simply need victories in their final games against Qarabag and Eintracht Frankfurt to confirm their spots in the last 16. Newcastle, Chelsea and Manchester City are still battling for qualification. The trio are three of eight sides level on 13 points.

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Thanks to the Champions League’s new draw format, there is already an idea of potential opponents for each club – though the table could still shift on the last night of league phase action. As it stands, 11th-placed Man City are the only English team who will need to go through a two-legged playoff to reach the last 16, which would see them face either Monaco (21st) or PSV (22nd).

Victory would set City up against either the fifth or sixth seed in the last 16. If the table stays as it is now, that could mean a clash with Premier League rivals Spurs or European Cup holders PSG.

Tottenham know that if they avoid City, their first knockout opponents could be Monaco (21st), PSV (22nd) or Atletico Madrid (12th). Arsenal’s reward for finishing first would be a two-legged last-16 tie against one of four teams: Galatasaray (17th), Qarabag (18th), Juventus (15th) or Borussia Dortmund (16th).

Liverpool are currently fourth and, if the draw were held today, could meet Atalanta (13th), Inter Milan (14th), Marseille (19th) or Bayer Leverkusen (20th) in the round of 16.

Newcastle are seventh at present and could face a tantalising clash with Barcelona (9th) if they hold onto their seeding. Other possible opponents for them include Sporting CP (10th), Athletic Club (23rd) or Olympiacos (24th). Chelsea occupy eighth, so their pool of potential rivals mirrors Newcastle’s.

The draw bracket means that Arsenal would be on the same side of the draw as Newcastle and Chelsea, making an all-English quarter-final a realistic possibility. Alternatively, five-time winners Barcelona could await in the last eight.

Six-time champions Liverpool could face Man City or Tottenham in the quarter-finals as things stand, while PSG or Atletico remain other daunting possibilities.

With one final match remaining for every club, the table could still see significant changes. Arsenal appear almost certain to finish first, but could drop to second with a defeat. Liverpool, due to goal difference, are unlikely to climb higher than third.

Spurs can finish no higher than third, while Newcastle and Chelsea must avoid slip-ups away at PSG and Napoli respectively to ensure a place in the top eight. City need a home win against Galatasaray and favourable results elsewhere to qualify, since they’re currently out of the top eight on goal difference.

Finishing first in the league phase did not help Liverpool last season as they met PSG in the last 16 and were knocked out. But with this year’s rule change, Arsenal are guaranteed to host the second leg of every knockout round if they finish top of the table.

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