The UEFA Champions league has concluded it’s first stage of the competition! We began with 36 teams on the table for the league phase action, but eliminated 12 teams and reduced our competition size to just 24 teams going forward. And here in a couple of weeks, we will only be down to 16! Things are moving fast, but hopefully this article will help you make sense of the UCL competition and where it currently stands.
UEFA Champions League, League Phase Recap
Liverpool went 7-0-1 in UCL league phase play
Like I said, we started with 36 teams all playing 8 matches against each other. It was very standard season scoring, 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw and none for a loss. The main tiebreakers were goal differential and goals scored, and thus we had our table set.
Now, teams seeded 1 through 8 automatically advanced to the Round of 16, and will be off the entire month of February. Teams seeded 25th-36th were eliminated and sent home. For the other 16 teams ranked 9th through 24th on the table, they were paired to play each other in a two leg knockout round beginning next week.
Top 8 (Advanced to Round of 16)
- Liverpool
- Barcelona
- Arsenal
- Inter Milan
- Atlético Madrid
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Lille
- Aston Villa
Congratulations to these eight teams who are already placed on the bracket for the Round of 16.
Bottom 12 (Eliminated from Competition)
- Dinamo Zagreb
- VfB Stuttgart
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- Bologna
- Red Star Belgrade
- SK Strum Graz
- Sparta Prague
- RB Leipzig
- Girona
- RB Salzburg
- Slovan Bratislava
- Young Boys
To these teams, thanks for playing! Have a safe flight home!
UEFA Champions League Knockout Round Preview
Can De Bruyne and Manchester City find a way to advance to the Round of 16?
Alright, so that leaves us with 16 teams. Teams ranked 9th through 16th face teams ranked 17th through 24th, so let’s get into those matchups!
Brest vs Paris Saint Germain
First Leg: Tuesday, February 11th @ Brest
Second Leg: Wednesday, February 19th @ PSG
Manchester City vs Real Madrid
First Leg: Tuesday, February 11th @ Man City
Second Leg: Wednesday, February 19th @ Real Madrid
Juventus vs PSV
First Leg: Tuesday, February 11th @ Juventus
Second Leg: Wednesday, February 19th @ PSV
Sporting CP vs Borussia Dortmund
First Leg: Tuesday, February 11th @ Sporting CP
Second Leg: Wednesday, February 19th @ Dortmund
Club Brugge vs Atalanta
First Leg: Wednesday, February 12th @ Club Brugge
Second Leg: Tuesday, February 18th @ Atalanta
AS Monaco vs Benfica
First Leg: Wednesday, February 12th @ Monaco
Second Leg: Tuesday, February 18th @ Benfica
Celtic vs Bayern Munich
First Leg: Wednesday, February 12th @ Celtic
Second Leg: Tuesday, February 18th @ Munich
Feyenoord Rotterdam vs AC Milan
First Leg: Wednesday, February 12th @ Rotterdam
Second Leg: Tuesday, February 18th @ Milan
UEFA Champions League Title Betting Odds
Arsenal look to get back to the UCL Title for the first time since 2006
As always, let’s take a peak at the overall betting odds to win the entire competition.
Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, sign up today with Promo Code BNEWS for a 50% deposit bonus as well as $10 cash in your account instantly!
Odds to Win the UCL
- Liverpool +450
- Arsenal +600
- Barcelona +650
- Real Madrid +700
- Bayern Munich +800
- Man City +1000
- PSG +1400
- Inter Milan +1400
- Atlético Madrid +2000
- Bayer Leverkusen +2800
- Atalanta +3300
- Aston Villa +4000
After the Top 12, there is quite the gap.
- Dortmund, AC Milan, Juventus and Lille are all listed at 66-1
- Benfica at 100-1
- Sporting CP, Monaco and PSV all listed at 150-1
- Feyenoord at 200-1
- Celtic and Brest both at 250-1
- And rounding us out, Club Brugge at 350-1
To me, this competition clearly stays within the Top 12, and more than likely the Top 8 if I had to guess.
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