Cody Gakpo, left, of Liverpool in action against PSV's Rick Karsdorp. EPA
Cody Gakpo, left, of Liverpool in action against PSV's Rick Karsdorp. EPA
Cody Gakpo, left, of Liverpool in action against PSV's Rick Karsdorp. EPA
Cody Gakpo, left, of Liverpool in action against PSV's Rick Karsdorp. EPA

Who is through in the Uefa Champions League and what’s next?


Steve Luckings
  • English
  • Arabic

The revamped Uefa Champions League group phase reached its conclusion on Wednesday, with some of Europe's biggest clubs leaving it late to secure their place in the next round.

Manchester City came from behind to beat Club Brugge and squeeze into a place in the play-offs, while the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain also did enough to book a place in the play-offs.

AC Milan, Benfica and Celtic – all former champions of Europe – also advanced.

Which teams finished in the top eight?

Liverpool could afford the luxury of losing their final match to PSV Eindhoven, finishing with an impressive record of seven wins from eight matches to win the group stage.

Barcelona signed off their group phase with a draw against Atalanta to finish second.

Top eight: Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, Aston Villa.

Ousmane Dembele's hat-trick helped propel PSG to victory over Stuttgart and into the Champions League play-offs. Reuters
Ousmane Dembele's hat-trick helped propel PSG to victory over Stuttgart and into the Champions League play-offs. Reuters

Which teams made the play-offs?

The teams that finished 9th to 24th will enter a two-legged play-off, to be played in February, to determine the final eight teams.

Knockout phase play-offs: Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, PSV, Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Monaco, Brest, Feyenoord, Juventus, Celtic, Manchester City, Sporting, Club Brugge.

Which teams are eliminated?

Dinamo Zagreb, Stuttgart, Shakhtar Donetsk, Bologna, Sparta Prague, Leipzig, Girona, Red Star Belgrade, Sturm Graz, Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys.

Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal was on target in the 2-2 draw against Atalanta. AFP
Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal was on target in the 2-2 draw against Atalanta. AFP

Who meets in the knockout phase play-offs?

The teams who finished between ninth and 24th play two-legged play-off ties on February 11-12 and 18-19 to decide who goes through to the last 16.

The draw will take place on Friday at 11am GMT (3pm UAE) but teams already know which sides they have a 50 per cent chance of meeting because of their final positions in the league phase.

Either Celtic or Manchester City will play European champions Real Madrid – with the other taking on fellow giants Bayern Munich.

Teams also know the two possible clubs they could face in the last 16 if they progress through the play-off.

The winner of those ties involving City and Celtic will take on either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16.

Who meets in the last 16?

Liverpool and Barcelona cannot meet until the final now after finishing first and second.

The Reds will play one of Monaco, Brest, PSG or Benfica in the last 16 – with Barca facing another of those teams.

Arsenal, who finished third, will play Feyenoord, Juventus, AC Milan or PSV.

Aston Villa, who just finished in the top eight after beating Celtic, will take on Sporting, Club Brugge, Atalanta or Borussia Dortmund.

Those ties will take place on March 4-5 and 11-12.

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

RESULTS

6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Superior, Connor Beasley (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)

7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Roy Orbison, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.15pm

Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
Winner: Taamol, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.50pm

Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
Winner: Welford, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Untold Secret, Xavier Ziani, Sandeep Jadhav

Updated: January 30, 2025, 9:47 AM`