Key Aston Villa Europa League Dates

This morning UEFA made the draw for the play-off round draw of the Europa League (see below), the final eliminator knockout round before the league stage, on the road to the final at the Beşiktaş Stadium in Istanbul on 20th May 2026. Aston Villa are one of the 13 teams that have automatically qualified for the league stage, so they’ll have to wait until the two final rounds of games are completed to discover their eight league stage fixtures.

Third qualifying round: 7 & 14 August 2025

Play-offs: 21 & 28 August 2025

League Stage Draw Date

The draw for the league stage takes place on the 29 August 2025.

Europa League League Fixture Dates

Unai Emery’s men will have just over a month to focus on the Premier League, before the first of the eight Europa League fixtures take place on 24/25 September.

The League stage games will be played on the following dates:

Matchday 1: 24 & 25 September 2025

Matchday 2: 2 October 2025

Matchday 3: 23 October 2025

Matchday 4: 6 November 2025

Matchday 5: 27 November 2025

Matchday 6: 11 December 2025

Matchday 7: 22 January 2026

Matchday 8: 29 January 2026

2025/26 UEFA Europa League play-off round draw

Hamrun Spartans F.C./Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC vs FC Dynamo Kyiv/Pafos FC

KF Shkëndija/Qarabağ FK vs PFC Ludogorets 1945/Ferencvárosi TC

FC Kairat Almaty/ŠK Slovan Bratislava vs BSC Young Boys

Malmö FF/F.C. Copenhagen vs SK Sigma Olomouc

Panathinaikos FC/FC Shakhtar Donetsk vs Samsunspor FC

Aberdeen FC vs Fotbal Club FCSB/FC Drita

KKS Lech Poznań/FK Crvena Zvezda vs KRC Genk

Fredrikstad FK/FC Midtjylland vs FC RFS/KuPS Kuopio

Lincoln Red Imps FC/FC Noah vs CFR 1907 Cluj/SC Braga

HŠK Zrinjski Mostar/Breiðablik vs Servette FC/FC Utrecht

BK Häcken/SK Brann vs AEK Larnaca FC/Legia Warszawa

HNK Rijeka/Shelbourne FC vs PAOK FC/Wolfsberger AC

Seeded teams in bold

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The 2025/26 UEFA Europa League play-off round draw took place at 13:00 CET on Monday 4 August at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland. The two-legged ties will take place on 21 and 28 August.

Qualifying: Fixtures, dates, results, how it works

2025/26 UEFA Europa League play-off round draw

Hamrun Spartans F.C./Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC vs FC Dynamo Kyiv/Pafos FC

KF Shkëndija/Qarabağ FK vs PFC Ludogorets 1945/Ferencvárosi TC

FC Kairat Almaty/Å K Slovan Bratislava vs BSC Young Boys

Malmö FF/F.C. Copenhagen vs SK Sigma Olomouc

Panathinaikos FC/FC Shakhtar Donetsk vs Samsunspor FC

Aberdeen FC vs Fotbal Club FCSB/FC Drita

KKS Lech Poznań/FK Crvena Zvezda vs KRC Genk

Fredrikstad FK/FC Midtjylland vs FC RFS/KuPS Kuopio

Lincoln Red Imps FC/FC Noah vs CFR 1907 Cluj/SC Braga

HŠK Zrinjski Mostar/Breiðablik vs Servette FC/FC Utrecht

BK Häcken/SK Brann vs AEK Larnaca FC/Legia Warszawa

HNK Rijeka/Shelbourne FC vs PAOK FC/Wolfsberger AC

Seeded teams in bold.

Draw procedure

Full draw procedure

Number of teams involved: 24 (5 directly, 13 pairings coming from the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round (champions path and main path) and 6 pairings coming from the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round champions path)

Number of seeded teams: 12

Number of matches: 2 x 12

Based on Article 14 of the UEFA Europa League Regulations (UEL Regulations), the following draw procedure was adopted by the UEFA Club Competitions Committee. Furthermore, the following paragraphs of the UEL Regulations were applicable to the draw.

Match system

15.01: The qualifying phase and play-offs follow the knockout system, whereby each team plays each opponent twice, in home and away matches. The team that scores the greater aggregate of goals in the two matches qualifies for the relevant round or stage (as applicable). In the event that the two teams score the same number of goals across the two matches, Article 21 applies.

Draw system and conditions

14.01: A draw between the same number of seeded and unseeded clubs determines the ties for the qualifying phase and play-offs. Clubs are seeded for these draws in accordance with the club coefficient rankings established at the beginning of the season (see Annex D) and with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. If, for any reason, any of the participants in the rounds concerned are not known at the time of the draw, the coefficients of the two clubs involved in the undecided tie are used for the purposes of the draw. For the club advancing to the next round of the competition as winner of the tie, the coefficient of the club with the higher coefficient of the two clubs involved is used for the purposes of the draw. For the other club, which is fed into the relevant round of the competition from another competition, the lower coefficient of the two clubs in the pairing of the other competition is used for the purposes of the draw.

14.02: The UEFA administration may form groups for the draw in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. Clubs from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.

14.03: A draw is conducted to determine the ties of each match and which team plays the first leg match at home.

In accordance with the relevant decisions of the UEFA Executive Committee, teams from the following associations could not be drawn against each other:

Armenia – Azerbaijan

Gibraltar – Spain

Kosovo – Bosnia and Herzegovina

Kosovo – Serbia

Kosovo – Russia*

Ukraine – Russia*

Ukraine – Belarus

* All teams from Russia are suspended until further notice by the decision of the Executive Committee of 28 February 2022, and as confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 15 July 2022.

Draw system

The 24 teams (five that enter the competition at this stage, the 13 winners of the third qualifying round (champions and main path) ties, indicated for the purposes of this draw as Winners of Pairings 1 to 13, and the six pairings coming from the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round champions path, indicated for the purposes of this draw as Pairings 1 to 6) were divided equally into three groups of eight teams, with an equal number of seeded and unseeded teams and/or pairings in each group.

As the teams qualifying from the previous qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League were not known at the time of the draw, the coefficient of the team with the higher coefficient of the two teams involved in each undecided tie was used for the seeding for the purposes of the draw. Therefore, if a team in a tie of the previous qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League had a coefficient that would entitle it to be seeded for the current draw, that pairing was seeded for this draw.

As the teams entering the competition from the previous qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League were not known at the time of the draw, the coefficient of the team with the lower coefficient of the two teams involved in each undecided UEFA Champions League previous qualifying round tie was used for the seeding for the purposes of the draw.

Groupings

Group 1

SeededÂ

Winners of Pairing 1: Hamrun Spartans F.C. (MLT) vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)

BSC Young Boys (SUI)

Pairing 1: PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL) vs Ferencvárosi TC (HUN)

Pairing 2: Malmö FF (SWE) vs F.C. Copenhagen (DEN)

Unseeded

Pairing 3: FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) vs Pafos FC (CYP)

SK Sigma Olomouc (CZE)

Pairing 4: KF Shkëndija (MKD) vs Qarabağ FK (AZE)

Pairing 5: FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ) vs Å K Slovan Bratislava (SVK)

Group 2

SeededÂ

Winners of Pairing 2: Panathinaikos FC (GRE) vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)

Winners of Pairing 3: Fredrikstad FK (NOR) vs FC Midtjylland (DEN)

Winners of Pairing 4: Fotbal Club FCSB (ROU) vs FC Drita (KOS)

Pairing 6: KKS Lech Poznań (POL) vs FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB)

Unseeded

KRC Genk (BEL)

Winners of Pairing 5: FC RFS (LVA) vs KuPS Kuopio (FIN)

Aberdeen FC (SCO)

Samsunspor FC (TUR)

Group 3

SeededÂ

Winners of Pairing 6: CFR 1907 Cluj (ROU) vs SC Braga (POR)

Winners of Pairing 7: PAOK FC (GRE) vs Wolfsberger AC (AUT)

Winners of Pairing 8: AEK Larnaca FC (CYP) vs Legia Warszawa (POL)

Winners of Pairing 9: Servette FC (SUI) vs FC Utrecht (NED)

Unseeded

Winners of Pairing 10: HNK Rijeka (CRO) vs Shelbourne FC (IRL)

Winners of Pairing 11: HŠK Zrinjski Mostar (BIH) vs Breiðablik (ISL)

Winners of Pairing 12: Lincoln Red Imps FC (GIB) vs FC Noah (ARM)

Winners of Pairing 13: BK Häcken (SWE) vs SK Brann (NOR)

Draw procedure

Three bowls were prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of the seeded and unseeded teams and/or pairings from Group 1 placed in the corresponding marked bowls.

One ball was then taken from each of these bowls and placed in the third empty central bowl, where they were shuffled. One ball was taken from the central bowl and opened to display the team. This team was considered the home team for the first leg of the first tie, which they will play against the second team drawn from this bowl.

The process was then repeated with the remaining balls to complete all the ties from Group 1. The same procedure was then carried out to determine the ties for the remaining groups.

Draw explanation

A video explaining the draw procedure was shown prior to the draw.

Calendar elaboration

The following paragraphs of the UEL Regulations are applicable to the match calendar.

24.01: The stadiums, dates (in accordance with the calendar in Annex C) and kick-off times for all matches in the qualifying phase and the play-offs are fixed by the home clubs in consultation with their respective associations and must be confirmed to the UEFA administration by the deadline set by the UEFA administration. The UEFA administration may alter or confirm dates and kick-off times in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.

24.02: If two or more clubs from the same city, within a radius of 50km of each other and/or playing in the same stadium, take part in any of the UEFA club competitions, and if the association and the clubs concerned explicitly declare when entering the clubs that their matches cannot be played on the same day or on consecutive days, the UEFA administration may alter or confirm dates and kick-off times in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.

24.03: The UEFA administration decides on match dates and fixture reversals on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the applicable principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. In any case, the UEFA administration reserves the right to impose a match date if the circumstances so require.

Any changes of date and fixture reversals will be communicated in writing to the clubs and their respective associations on the day of the draw.

Nicolas Kuhn of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

One more day is all that separates Celtic and a potentially explosive UEFA Champions League knockout tie against Bayern Munich at Celtic Park…

Celtic v BSC Young Boys, view of Paradise from the sky. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

The club welcomes the German side to Paradise once again under the lights and Brendan Rodgers will be hoping his team can give as good as they get and show why we haven’t been beaten at home in Europe this year.

With the new format, Celtic had four home games and four away and whilst it was a mixed bag on the road, it has to be said, we performed really strongly in Glasgow and made life difficult for all who entered our abode. A 5-1 thumping of Slovan Bratislava set the tone for our home form this time out and we followed that up with a sensational 3-1 rout of RB Leipzig, whilst we also manager to see off BSC Young Boys and drew 1-1 with Club Brugge.

Liam Scales scores Celtic’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and SK Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park on September 18, 2024 . (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Restoring Fortress Paradise

Yes, it’s been extremely pleasing on the eye this year, witnessing our team help restore fortress Paradise to its former glory. Many have visited through the years and fallen on the sword, in the ground which Fergus McCann built for us all those years ago and which still holds the highest capacity in Scottish football. That advantage is not only domestically but helps exponentially in European competition – allowing us to create a tremendous atmosphere which can intimidate the opposition.

We’ve witnessed some crackers over the years and amongst the famous names is Manchester United. United were famously beaten by Celtic in 2006, thanks to a sublime Shunsuke Nakamura free-kick which beat Edwin Van Der Saar and seal all three points for the Bhoys that evening. Paul Scholes played at Celtic Park that evening and will know all too well about our ability to conjure up the spectacular in that sort of atmosphere under those night lights.

‘They can beat anybody at home. Not a problem’

UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and SK Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Nicolas Kuhn of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, Scholes admitted that the Hoops can beat anybody at home in European football and reckons they’ve also tightened up a fair bit on the road too. Previewing the huge clash tomorrow, the United legend said: “When I think of Celtic in the Champions League and European competition, I think they can beat anybody at home. Not a problem. But they always got beat away. It seems like they’ve got a little bit more solid away from home.”

Paul Gillespie

What’s next for Bayern Munich in the Champions League?

UEFA will host a drawing on Friday, January 31st to determine the pairings for the knockout phase playoff round. Bayern finished 12th in the Champions League table and will face either Celtic (21st place) or Manchester City (22nd place). The first/away leg will be on February 11th or 12th. The second/home leg will be on February 18th or 19th.

Champions League Scores

Aston Villa 4-2 Celtic

Barcelona 2-2 Atalanta

Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Sparta Praha

Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Shakhtar Donetsk

Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 AC Milan

Inter 3-0 Monaco

Juventus 0-2 Benfica

Lille 6-1 Feyenoord

RB Salzburg 1-4 Atletico Madrid

Brest 0-3 Real Madrid

Girona 1-2 Arsenal

Manchester City 3-1 Club Brugge

PSV 3-2 Liverpool

Sturm Graz 1-0 RB Leipzig

Sporting CP 1-1 Bologna

Stuttgart 1-4 PSG

Young Boys 0-1 Crvena Zvezda

Fulltime Observations

Due to Bratislava’s low block, Bayern struggled to find chances, which is not a new concept to the Bayern faithful. However, both of Bayern’s goals were the direct by-product of crosses and headers. Thomas Müller and Harry Kane might have only produced a combined vertical leap of 30 inches but the goals still counted.

Given the opponent and circumstances, Vincent Kompany opted to reward some of Bayern’s industrious backups with a chance in the starting lineup. ALL of them took advantage of the opportunity and played with pace, aggressiveness, and confidence. It’s fun to see Bayern’s depth still perform at a high level (unlike Tuchel’s tenure).

Mathys Tel is an easy guy to root for. He works hard and has talent, but his confidence and form have reached a career low. He needs to take a loan deal this month that gets him consistent playing time.

Kingsley Coman ended his 13-game scoreless streak. Although he didn’t create the opportunity, it will still take a burden off his shoulders.

At the end of the day, Bayern took care of business against a lesser opponent and avoided any injuries. It was far from perfect but the result was never in doubt.

Looking for more thoughts and discussion following Bayern Munich’s 3-1 thrashing of Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League? Awesome, then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:

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FT: Bayern wins!

90’: Goal, Bratislava. Bayern up 3-1. Marko Tolić smashes the ball into the top of the net.

84’: GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 3-0. After a hectic series, Kingsley Coman punches in the rebound.

81’: Yellow card. Kenan Bajrić is booked for arguing a call.

77’: Substitutions. Marko Tolić and Alen Mustafić replace Sharani Zuberu and Július Szöke.

70’: Substitutions. Róbert Mak and Idjessi Metsoko replace Tigran Barseghyan and David Strelec.

63’: GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 2-0. Harry Kane cashes in on a close range header. Well placed assist from Jamal Musiala.

60’: Substitutions. Jamal Musiala, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry replace Thomas Müller, Mathys Tel, and Sacha Boey. Jurij Medveděv replaces Nino Marcelli.

54’: Leroy Sané with a golden opportunity but hits it directly at the goalkeeper.

46’: No lineup changes.

Halftime Observations

Both teams seem content to allow Bayern’s possession (78%) to dictate the game’s movement. This looks more like a training exercise rather than a Champions League match.

At times, all 11 Bratislava players were defending inside their own box. Bayern continues to struggle to break down the low block, mainly because Bayern lacks a consistent aerial threat. On the rare occasion where Bratislava earns possession, only three players sprint forward before the Bayern defense quickly dismisses the counterattack.

Besides the sequence in the 26th minute when Manuel Neuer came up huge on a point blank save, he has been twiddling his thumbs back there. Expect to see Manuel Neuer roaming up to midfield just to get a touch on the ball in the second half.

Leroy Sané took a shot with his right foot. It was nothing special. But considering the rarity of the moment, it felt worthy of a footnote.

Champions League Scores

Games that effect Bayern’s top 8 finish

Aston Villa 2-2 Celtic (Bayern fans want a Celtic win/draw)

Barcelona 0-0 Atalanta (Bayern fans want a Atalanta loss OR draw + Bayern wins by 8+)

Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Sparta Praha (Bayern fans want Leverkusen draw/loss)

Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Shakhtar Donetsk (Bayern fans want Dortmund draw/loss OR Bayern overcomes 2-goal differential deficit)

Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 AC Milan (Bayern fans want AC Milan loss)

Inter 2-0 Monaco (Bayern fans want Monaco draw/loss)

Juventus 0-1 Benfica (Bayern fans want Juventus draw/loss OR Bayern holds 2-goal differential)

Lille 2-1 Feyenoord (Bayern fans want draw)

RB Salzburg 0-3 Atletico Madrid (Bayern fans want Atletico Madrid loss)

Brest 0-1 Real Madrid (Bayern fans want Real Madrid draw/loss OR Bayern holds 1-goal differential)

Games that don’t effect Bayern’s top 8 finish

Girona 1-2 Arsenal

Manchester City 0-1 Club Brugge

PSV 2-2 Liverpool

Sturm Graz 1-0 RB Leipzig

Sporting CP 0-1 Bologna

Stuttgart 0-3 PSG

Young Boys 0-0 Crvena Zvezda)

HT: Bayern up 1-0.

32’: Yellow card. César Blackman’s booked for a dangerous foul.

26’: Manuel Neuer comes up HUGE to maintain the clean sheet.

8’: GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 1-0. Thomas Müller heads in a beautiful cross from Joshua Kimmich.

1’: LET’S GOOOOOOOOOO!!!

This is the first game in a while where Vincent Kompany’s starting lineup doesn’t include his preferred 11 players. Thomas Müller, Aleksandar Pavlović, Josip Stanišić, Mathys Tel, and Sacha Boey will join some of the regulars. Tarek Buchmann and Adam Aznou might actually get some quality minutes tonight as well.

Path to Top 8 Finish

With a win over Bratislava, Bayern will need seven of the following 10 results to go their way:

Atletico Madrid loss to RB Salzburg

AC Milan loss to Dinamo Zagreb

Atalanta draw/loss to Barcelona (if Atalanta draws, Bayern will need to win by 8 or more)

Bayer Leverkusen draw/loss to Sparta Praha

Aston Villa draw/loss to Celtic (if Celtic wins, Bayern will need to hold five-goal differential)

Monaco draw/loss to Inter Milan

Brest draw/loss to Real Madrid (if Real Madrid wins, Bayern will need to hold one-goal differential)

Dortmund draw/loss to Shakhtar Donetsk OR Bayern overcomes two-goal differential deficit to Dortmund

Juventus draw/loss to Benfica OR Bayern holds two-goal differential over Juventus

Feyenoord draw to Lille

Bayern Munich and Slovan Bratislava have never played each other and it seems unlikely that Bratislava will be looking for a rematch anytime soon. Bayern will need to put up as many goals as they can while Bratislava have literally nothing to play for.

Odds: Bayern (-5000), Draw (+2200), Bratislava (+4000), Over/Under 4.5 goals

Prediction: Bayern wins 7-0. Jamal Musiala will score the game winner in the fifth minute with a patented header after being left unmarked right in the middle of the box. Joshua Kimmich is due for a spectacular goal. Harry Kane will score a pair of penalty kicks plus a tap-in for the hat trick. Thomas Müller will deliver some fireworks with a goal and assist to Serge Gnabry. Bayern will still finish outside the top 10 and draw PSG in the playoff knockout phase.

It’s Bayern time.

While you’re waiting for the game, why not check out our preview podcast? Listen to it below or on Spotify.

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Match Info

Location: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany

Date: January 29, 2025

Time: 9:00pm local time, 3:00pm EST

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Check out our beginners thread if you have any more questions. That’s about it. Auf geht’s!

The UEFA Champions league phase concludes on Wednesday, Jan. 29 with every club playing at the same time and with nine teams still fighting for the last six spots in the knockout phase.

The matches are scheduled to start at 3 p.m. EST and will be available to stream on Paramount+. Fans looking to watch can do so through Paramount+, which offers exclusive live streams and on-demand replays of all UEFA Champions League matches along with a free trial when you sign up.

Going into the final Matchday of the league phase, PSV, Club Brugge, Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP, VfB Stuttgart, Manchester City, GNK Dinamo and Shakhtar Donetsk are all competing for the last six slots in the knockout phase. There are two matchups involving two of these clubs as Stuttgart takes on PSG and Man City takes on Club Brugge.

Liverpool and Barcelona are already locked into the Round of 16 as they are the top two clubs on the table and guaranteed to finish in the top eight. Bologna, Sparta Prague, RB Leipzig, Girona, Crvena Zvezda, SK Sturm Graz, RB Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys are all eliminated from advancing to the knockout phase.

Matches: Sporting CP vs. Bologna

PSV Eindhoven vs. Liverpool

Young Boys vs. Crvena Zvezda

VfB Stuttgart vs. Paris Saint-Germain

SK Sturm Graz vs. RB Leipzig

RB Salzburg vs. Atlético Madrid

Aston Villa vs. Celtic

Barcelona vs. Atalanta

Bayer Leverkusen vs. Sparta Prague

Bayern Munich vs. Slovan Bratislava

Borussia Dortmund vs. Shakhtar Donetsk

Brest vs. Real Madrid

GNK Dinamo vs. AC Milan

Girona vs. Arsenal

Inter vs. AS Monaco

Juventus vs. Benfica

Lille vs. Feyenoord Rotterdam

Manchester City vs. Club Brugge

When: Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 3 p.m. EST

Club Scenarios:

Arsenal – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

Inter – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

Atlético Madrid – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

AC Milan – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

Atalanta – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

Bayer Leverkusen – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

Aston Villa – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

AS Monaco – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

Feyenoord Rotterdam – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

Lille – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

Brest – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

Borussia Dortmund – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

Bayern Munich – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

Real Madrid – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

Juventus – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

Celtic – Round of 16 automatic bid or knockout playoff

PSV Eindhoven – Knockout playoff or elimination

Club Brugge – Knockout playoff or elimination

Benfica – Knockout playoff or elimination

Paris Saint-Germain – Knockout playoff or elimination

Sporting CP – Knockout playoff or elimination

VfB Stuttgart – Knockout playoff or elimination

Manchester City – Knockout playoff or elimination

GNK Dinamo – Knockout playoff or elimination

Shakhtar Donetsk – Knockout playoff or elimination

Stream: Paramount+ (free trial)

What is Paramount+?

Paramount+ is a streaming platform with hundreds of thousands of tv episodes and movies available along with the ability to access even more content through Paramount+ with SHOWTIME. Watch the NFL on CBS and the UEFA Champions League through the basic service, or upgrade for additional sporting events such as NWSL games and The Masters.

RELATED CONTENT:

Man City and PSG face unexpected early exit from Champions League in dramatic round of 18 games

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer

GENEVA (AP) — Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain each faces a shocking early exit from the Champions League for ,the first time in more than a decade when the final round of games Wednesday decide the new 36-team standings.

When the 18 games kick off at the same time, 9 p.m. Central European Time (2000 GMT), to complete the inaugural league-phase format, Man City is outside the top-24 places that advance to the knockout stage and 22nd-place PSG risks dropping out.

Man City must beat Club Brugge at home to rise safely from 25th place. A draw for PSG at 24th-place Stuttgart should be enough for both teams — barring a freakish big win for Dinamo Zagreb over AC Milan to take the tiebreaker on goal difference among teams that end on 11 points.

A PSG loss in Germany risks ending a run of 12 straight years playing in the knockout stage.

The final-day jeopardy also was unexpected for Man City, the Champions League winner two years ago, which let a two-goal lead slip in a 4-2 loss at PSG last week.

The English Premier League champion advanced 11 years in a row from the old group stage since going winless in the 2012-13 edition.

It is the kind of scenario Champions League organizer UEFA hoped for when approving the new format under severe pressure from storied clubs who demanded more lucrative games and more of them against high-end opponents.

Those same influential clubs — including the super-wealthy state-backed pair of Man City and PSG – hardly imagined they would miss out on the knockout phase that brings global brand-building attention and tens of millions of euros in extra prize money from UEFA.

Real Madrid had to play just 13 games to win the Champions League last season, and now faces playing 17 to retain the title.

Madrid is 16th in the standings before going to play unheralded Brest after losing three of its seven games, including on its previous trip to France against Lille.

The record 15-time European champion can still rise to a top-8 finish — earning direct entry to the round of 16 in March — by beating 13th-place Brest, though needs other results to go its way.

Teams that finish from ninth to 24th enter Friday’s draw for the two-leg knockout playoffs played on back-to-back midweeks in February.

That shapes as an unwanted burden in the congested calendar for teams also chasing domestic titles, rather than bonus games to earn more revenue.

Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich is in 15th place, also on 12 points with Madrid, before hosting Slovan Bratislava, which has been overmatched losing seven straight games.

A 15-point tally, with a strong goal difference, could be enough to take eighth place currently held by Bayer Leverkusen, which heads a group of six teams on 13 points. Leverkusen hosts already eliminated Sparta Prague.

Bayern and Madrid can be helped by the tough schedule for teams ahead in the standings: Atalanta in seventh goes to Barcelona, 10th-place Monaco is at Inter Milan, while Lille and Feyenoord — 12th vs 11th — cannot both reach 15 points.

League-leading Liverpool has let most star players skip the trip to 19th-place PSV Eindhoven because it is one of the few teams with certainty.

Seven wins guaranteed Liverpool a top-two seeding in the tennis-like bracket for the knockout rounds. That draw will be made Feb. 21 after the playoffs round, setting up pairings through to the May 31 final in Munich.

Only Liverpool and Barcelona have already sealed their top-8 places, though Arsenal and Inter — both on 16 points — likely will join them. Atletico Madrid and Milan start Wednesday’s games on 15 points.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.