The higher a team finishes in the top eight, the better their seeding is for the last-16, and Lazio and Athletic Club – whose San Mames ground will host May’s final – currently lead the way, with five wins and a draw.
Third-placed Anderlecht and Galatasaray, in sixth, have also yet to lose a game, while Lyon, 2022 winners Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers round out the current automatic berths.
Tottenham, who drew 1-1 at Ibrox on Thursday, lead the chasers from the play-off positions, with the likes of Ajax, Real Sociedad, Roma and Conference League holders Olympiacos all hoping to push on after Christmas.
In the inaugural season of the new format, there appears to be a real absence of ‘dead rubbers’, with Dynamo Kyiv the only team to have been eliminated. The Ukrainians have lost all six games in the competition so far.