By GETHIN HICKS, SPORTS REPORTER
Published: 06:41 EST, 11 December 2025 | Updated: 06:41 EST, 11 December 2025
One surprising Premier League team has been tipped to join Arsenal and Manchester City in the top eight of the Champions League when the group phase ends late next month.
The 36-team table is as tight as ever after the opening six games of this year's competition, with Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola's sides the only two from British shores occupying a place in the automatic qualification spots.
The Premier League's other four clubs - Liverpool, Newcastle United, Spurs and Chelsea - all sit in play-off positions and on the cusp of heading straight through to the Round of 16. The Reds in ninth, Spurs eleventh, Magpies twelfth and Blues thirteenth.
But a new table released by Opta Analysis and based purely on statistics predicts that only one of the quartet will sneak into the top eight - Arne Slot's Liverpool.
According to the table, the Dutchman's side will join the Gunners, Bayern Munich, City, PSG, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in progressing straight through, while Spurs, Newcastle and Chelsea all occupy spots between ninth and twenty-fourth.
Perhaps just as surprising is the analysts' prediction that Liverpool have an 11 per cent chance of making it to the final, making them the fifth most likely side in the competition. At the top of that prediction list is, not so shockingly, Arsenal. At 22 per cent, the Gunners are also considered favourites to win the coveted trophy come the end of May.
Arsenal currently sit top of the Champions League group phase after winning every one of their first six games
Manchester City meanwhile find themselves in fourth after beating Real Madrid 2-1
Liverpool are however also predicted to finish in the top eight by a new table based on stats
Liverpool's backing comes after the Reds pulled off an impressive 1-0 victory at the San Siro on Tuesday evening against Inter Milan thanks to a late penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai.
OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Arsenal
2. Bayern Munich
3, Man City
4. PSG
5. Atalanta
6. Liverpool
7. Atletico Madrid
8. Real Madrid
9. Barcelona
10. Inter Milan
11. Spurs
12. Dortmund
13. Chelsea
14. Newcastle
15. Sporting Lisbon
16. Bayer Leverkusen
17. Juventus
18. Marseille
19. Monaco
20. Galatasaray
21. Napoli
22. PSV
23. Qarabag
24. Benfica
25. Copenhagen
26. Pafos
27. R Union SG
28. Olympiakos
29. Club Brugge
30. Athletic Club
31. Frankfurt
32. Slavia Prague
33. Ajax
34. Villareal
35. Bodo/ Glimt
36. Kairat
lt came after a dire run of just one win in six games in all competitions for Slot's men, who travelled to northern Italy without star-man Mo Salah.
The Egyptian was omitted from the travelling squad after he gave an explosive interview following Liverpool's 3-3 draw at Elland Road on Saturday, a game in which the 33-year-old was an unused substitute.
Salah claimed his and Slot's relationship was broken and that he's been 'thrown under the bus' in bombshell statements sparking speculation he could leave the club for the Saudi Pro League in January.
‘I could not believe I was sitting on the bench for 90 minutes,’ he said. ‘That’s the third time. It’s the first time in my career I think.
‘(I am) very disappointed, I have done so much for this club over the years, especially last season. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That’s how I feel.
‘Someone wants me to get all the blame. The club promised me a lot in summer. Now I’m on the bench so I can say they haven’t kept those promises.
‘I used to have a good relationship (with manager Slot). Now we don’t have any relationship and I don't know why.'
With Liverpool set to face Brighton at Anfield on Saturday, it's currently unclear whether Salah will be recalled to the champions' squad.
But after the win in Italy, Slot hinted that there could be a way back for the Egyptian if he acknowledges that he made a mistake.
Speaking to pundit and fellow Dutchman Clarence Seedorf on Amazon Prime, he said: 'You say everyone makes mistakes in life, so the first thing should be: does the player think he's made a mistake as well?
'And then the next question is, should the initiative come from me or him? That's another question to answer.'
Slot later rowed back on his comments with a mixed message, saying: 'Clarence said that in his opinion and I didn't say who should make the first step.
'Tonight it should be all about the players that are here. In the rich history Liverpool has had they have had many of these evenings.
'(The performance) was all I could ask for, I think the fourth game in 10 days, that is not what you see a lot with only 13 outfield players available with experience, after the blow we had conceding the 3-3 in Leeds then in this stadium against such a strong Inter team, we hardly gave away a chance.
'We had a great mentality second half, we get better and better.'