Things are finally about to get interesting in the Champions League - and all it took was four months and 126 games! Ahead of matchday eight, when all of the games will kick-off at the same time on Wednesday, several elite European teams are in real danger of missing out on direct qualification for the last 16. Indeed, Barcelona (ninth), Manchester City (11th), Atletico Madrid (12th) and Inter (14th) all currently sit outside the coveted top eight spots.
There's no guarantee that reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain will hold onto sixth spot either, as they host seventh-placed Newcastle in their final game, and while Barcelona will be confident of moving up from ninth, given they finish their league-phase campaign at Camp Nou against Copenhagen, their weak defence was once again on show in a surprisingly difficult win over Slavia Prague.
Arsenal, of course, have no such issues, and the Gunners maintained their 100 percent record by piling more misery on Inter at San Siro. In another very strong week for the majority of the English contingent, Liverpool also re-established themselves as contenders with a commanding win in Marseille.
So, as it stands, which sides are looking like potential champions? And who is running the risk of suffering an embarrassingly early exit? GOAL ranks and rates the 32 teams still fighting for a spot in the knockout stage of the 2025-26 Champions League...
Previous update: December 11, 2025. Teams eliminated: Kairat Almaty, Villarreal, Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague.