The new-look league stage has officially caused plenty of drama in the UEFA Champions League, leaving several European heavyweights in a precarious position with three games remaining to book a place in the knockout rounds.
Although the league stage guaranteed tough competition for teams of all strength levels, few would have anticipated that Real Madrid and Manchester City would be in tough spots after the 5th game. down to the wire – Paris Saint-Germain are surprisingly outside the top 24, while RB Leipzig are somehow still waiting for their first point in the Champions League this season.
Those in the top eight at the moment – including top sides like Liverpool and Barcelona and surprise challengers like Monaco and Atalanta – have the knockouts in their sights, but for the rest, there is still plenty of work to do. There are reasons to panic for many teams sitting outside the top eight, but their concerns certainly vary.
As the league stage nears its conclusion, here’s how panicked Europe’s top teams should be.
Champions League standings
key: Positions 1-8 qualify for Round of 16 while positions 9-24 qualify for Knockout Phase Play-Offs and positions 25-36 are eliminated.
| Pos | team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | G.D | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | +11 | 15 |
| 2 | between | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 13 |
| 3 | Barcelona | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 5 | +13 | 12 |
| 4 | Borussia Dortmund | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 6 | +10 | 12 |
| 5 | Atalanta | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1 | +10 | 11 |
| 6 | Bayer Leverkusen | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 10 |
| 7 | Arsenal | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 10 |
| 8 | Monaco | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 10 |
| 9 | Aston Villa | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 10 |
| 10 | Sports Lisbon | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 10 |
| 11 | Brest | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +3 | 10 |
| 12 | Lille | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 10 |
| 13 | Bayern Munich | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 9 |
| 14 | Benfica | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 9 |
| 15 | Athletic Madrid | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 9 |
| 16 | AC Milan | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +2 | 9 |
| 17 | Manchester City | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 8 |
| 18 | PSV | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 8 |
| 19 | Juventus | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 8 |
| 20 | Celtic | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 8 |
| 21 | Feyenoord | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 7 |
| 22 | Club Bruges | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 7 |
| 23 | Dinamo Zagreb | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 15 | -5 | 7 |
| 24 | Real Madrid | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 6 |
| 25 | Paris Saint-Germain | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 4 |
| 26 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | -4 | 4 |
| 27 | Stuttgart | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 4 |
| 28 | Sparta Prague | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 14 | -9 | 4 |
| 29 | Storm Graz | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 3 |
| 30 | Girona | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 3 |
| 31 | Red Star | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 17 | -8 | 3 |
| 32 | RB Salzburg | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 15 | -12 | 3 |
| 33 | Bologna | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 1 |
| 34 | RB Leipzig | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 10 | -6 | 0 |
| 35 | Slavic Bratislava | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 18 | -14 | 0 |
| 36 | Young Boys | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 17 | -15 | 0 |
Let’s assign levels of panic for the big dogs that struggle. One is very little reason to worry while 10 is full panic mode with changes needed immediately.
Bayern Munich
Other schedule (always US/Eastern):
- December 10, 15:00: Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Bayern Munich
- Jan. 22, 3 pm: Feyenoord vs. Bayern Munich
- Jan. 29, 3 pm: Bayern Munich vs. Slavic Bratislava
It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Bayern Munich in the league stage so far, but outside of their 4-1 loss against Barcelona, they’ve generally been the better team in each of the games they’ve played so far. They have earned a firm place in the top 24 and the top eight are still well within touching distance, putting them in a strong position to advance. That’s without looking at their upcoming schedule, which is very favorable to the German giants.
Panic level: 4/10
Real Madrid
Other schedule (always US/Eastern):
- December 10, 15: Atalanta vs. Real Madrid
- January 22, 3:00 p.m.: Real Madrid vs. RB Salzburg
- January 29, 15:00: Brest against Real Madrid
Earning just six points from 15 and sitting 24th, a place in the top eight feels out of reach at this point, even if a place in the knockout rounds is well within grasp. The good news for Real Madrid is that they are definitely good enough to win any of their remaining games, even if Atalanta have surprisingly sneaked into the top eight and Brest are not far behind in 11th. The bad news is that the reigning European champions are not playing like a heavyweight, and they need to figure out how to fix that to actually take advantage of the opportunity in front of them.
Panic level: 7/10
Manchester City
Other schedule (always US/Eastern):
- December 11, 3 p.m.: Juventus v Manchester City
- January 22, 3 p.m.: Paris Saint-Germain v Manchester City
- January 29, 3:00 p.m.: Manchester City vs. Club Brugge
Manchester City are slightly better than Real Madrid with eight points, but the situation is eerily similar – the 2023 champions have the ability to beat anyone, but they certainly don’t play like it. Unlike Madrid, however, City’s remaining schedule is fraught with some obvious challenges. Juventus have conceded just five goals this season, which could make things difficult for an increasingly stifled City offense, while Paris Saint-Germain’s desperation for points could make their 7th meeting interesting. Pep Guardiola and company have enough to dig themselves out of this hole, but they will really have to prove it with three games remaining in the league stage.
Panic level: 8/10
Paris Saint-Germain
Other schedule (always US/Eastern):
- December 10, 3 p.m.: RB Salzburg vs. Paris Saint-Germain
- January 22, 3 p.m.: Paris Saint-Germain v Manchester City
- January 29, 3:00 p.m.: Stuttgart vs. Paris Saint-Germain
If there was an award for the surprise team outside the top 24, PSG would be the obvious choice. They were arguably dealt the worst hand after being signed to face Arsenal, Bayern and Manchester City in the league stage, but there have been few positives to take from this season so far in the Champions League. They have just one win in five, doing little to inspire confidence in Luis Enrique’s post-Kylian Mbappe rebuild, even in the one game they have won. They can still turn things around and find a place in the top 24, but they have no points to spare with three games to go and so the games against RB Salzburg and Stuttgart are essentially must-wins. PSG, however, may also have to hope that City’s form continues for another couple of months as they may need something from that crucial game as well.
Panic level: 9/10
require.config({“baseUrl”:”https://sportsfly.cbsistatic.com/fly-0834/bundles/sportsmediajs/js-build”,”config”:{“version”:{“fly/components/accordion”:”1.0″,”fly/components/alert”:”1.0″,”fly/components/base”:”1.0″,”fly/components/carousel”:”1.0″,”fly/components/dropdown”:”1.0″,”fly/components/fixate”:”1.0″,”fly/components/form-validate”:”1.0″,”fly/components/image-gallery”:”1.0″,”fly/components/iframe-messenger”:”1.0″,”fly/components/load-more”:”1.0″,”fly/components/load-more-article”:”1.0″,”fly/components/load-more-scroll”:”1.0″,”fly/components/loading”:”1.0″,”fly/components/modal”:”1.0″,”fly/components/modal-iframe”:”1.0″,”fly/components/network-bar”:”1.0″,”fly/components/poll”:”1.0″,”fly/components/search-player”:”1.0″,”fly/components/social-button”:”1.0″,”fly/components/social-counts”:”1.0″,”fly/components/social-links”:”1.0″,”fly/components/tabs”:”1.0″,”fly/components/video”:”1.0″,”fly/libs/easy-xdm”:”2.4.17.1″,”fly/libs/jquery.cookie”:”1.2″,”fly/libs/jquery.throttle-debounce”:”1.1″,”fly/libs/jquery.widget”:”1.9.2″,”fly/libs/omniture.s-code”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/jquery-mobile-init”:”1.0″,”fly/libs/jquery.mobile”:”1.3.2″,”fly/libs/backbone”:”1.0.0″,”fly/libs/underscore”:”1.5.1″,”fly/libs/jquery.easing”:”1.3″,”fly/managers/ad”:”2.0″,”fly/managers/components”:”1.0″,”fly/managers/cookie”:”1.0″,”fly/managers/debug”:”1.0″,”fly/managers/geo”:”1.0″,”fly/managers/gpt”:”4.3″,”fly/managers/history”:”2.0″,”fly/managers/madison”:”1.0″,”fly/managers/social-authentication”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/data-prefix”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/data-selector”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/function-natives”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/guid”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/log”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/object-helper”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/string-helper”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/string-vars”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/url-helper”:”1.0″,”libs/jshashtable”:”2.1″,”libs/select2″:”3.5.1″,”libs/jsonp”:”2.4.0″,”libs/jquery/mobile”:”1.4.5″,”libs/modernizr.custom”:”2.6.2″,”libs/velocity”:”1.2.2″,”libs/dataTables”:”1.10.6″,”libs/dataTables.fixedColumns”:”3.0.4″,”libs/dataTables.fixedHeader”:”2.1.2″,”libs/dateformat”:”1.0.3″,”libs/waypoints/infinite”:”3.1.1″,”libs/waypoints/inview”:”3.1.1″,”libs/waypoints/jquery.waypoints”:”3.1.1″,”libs/waypoints/sticky”:”3.1.1″,”libs/jquery/dotdotdot”:”1.6.1″,”libs/jquery/flexslider”:”2.1″,”libs/jquery/lazyload”:”1.9.3″,”libs/jquery/maskedinput”:”1.3.1″,”libs/jquery/marquee”:”1.3.1″,”libs/jquery/numberformatter”:”1.2.3″,”libs/jquery/placeholder”:”0.2.4″,”libs/jquery/scrollbar”:”0.1.6″,”libs/jquery/tablesorter”:”2.0.5″,”libs/jquery/touchswipe”:”1.6.18″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.core”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.draggable”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.mouse”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.position”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.slider”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.sortable”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.touch-punch”:”0.2.3″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.autocomplete”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.accordion”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.tabs”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.menu”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.dialog”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.resizable”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.button”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.tooltip”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.effects”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.datepicker”:”1.11.4″}},”shim”:{“liveconnection/managers/connection”:{“deps”:[“liveconnection/libs/sockjs-0.3.4″]},”liveconnection/libs/sockjs-0.3.4”:{“exports”:”SockJS”},”libs/setValueFromArray”:{“exports”:”set”},”libs/getValueFromArray”:{“exports”:”get”},”fly/libs/jquery.mobile-1.3.2″:[“version!fly/utils/jquery-mobile-init”],”libs/backbone.marionette”:{“deps”:[“jquery”,”version!fly/libs/underscore”,”version!fly/libs/backbone”],”exports”:”Marionette”},”fly/libs/underscore-1.5.1″:{“exports”:”_”},”fly/libs/backbone-1.0.0″:{“deps”:[“version!fly/libs/underscore”,”jquery”],”exports”:”Backbone”},”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.tabs-1.11.4″:[“jquery”,”version!libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.core”,”version!fly/libs/jquery.widget”],”libs/jquery/flexslider-2.1″:[“jquery”],”libs/dataTables.fixedColumns-3.0.4″:[“jquery”,”version!libs/dataTables”],”libs/dataTables.fixedHeader-2.1.2″:[“jquery”,”version!libs/dataTables”],”https://sports.cbsimg.net/js/CBSi/app/VideoPlayer/AdobePass-min.js”:[“https://sports.cbsimg.net/js/CBSi/util/Utils-min.js”]},”map”:{“*”:{“adobe-pass”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/js/CBSi/app/VideoPlayer/AdobePass-min.js”,”facebook”:”https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js”,”facebook-debug”:”https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all/debug.js”,”google”:”https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js”,”google-csa”:”https://www.google.com/adsense/search/async-ads.js”,”google-javascript-api”:”https://www.google.com/jsapi”,”google-client-api”:”https://accounts.google.com/gsi/client”,”gpt”:”https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/tag/js/gpt.js”,”hlsjs”:”https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/hls.js/1.0.7/hls.js”,”recaptcha”:”https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js?onload=loadRecaptcha&render=explicit”,”recaptcha_ajax”:”https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api/js/recaptcha_ajax.js”,”supreme-golf”:”https://sgapps-staging.supremegolf.com/search/assets/js/bundle.js”,”taboola”:”https://cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/cbsinteractive-cbssports/loader.js”,”twitter”:”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js”,”video-avia”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/fly/js/avia-js/2.12.0/player/avia.min.js”,”video-avia-ui”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/fly/js/avia-js/2.12.0/plugins/ui/avia.ui.min.js”,”video-avia-gam”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/fly/js/avia-js/2.12.0/plugins/gam/avia.gam.min.js”,”video-avia-hls”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/fly/js/avia-js/2.12.0/plugins/hls/avia.hls.min.js”,”video-avia-playlist”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/fly/js/avia-js/2.12.0/plugins/playlist/avia.playlist.min.js”,”video-ima3″:”https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/sdkloader/ima3.js”,”video-ima3-dai”:”https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/sdkloader/ima3_dai.js”,”video-utils”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/js/CBSi/util/Utils-min.js”,”video-vast-tracking”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/fly/js/sb55/vast-js/vtg-vast-client.js”}},”waitSeconds”:300});
