The Champions League is set for a dramatic final weekend with some big names, notably Manchester City, scraping to avoid elimination.

There were plenty of skeptics when UEFA unveiled the new format for their premier competition but it has provided some good storylines heading into the matchday eight.

The biggest one is whether City, the 2023 winners and four-time defending Premier League champions, will avoid elimination.

So, what do we know so far?

Top Eight Guarantees: Liverpool, Barcelona

Top-24 Guaranteed (Minimum): Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Monaco, Feyenoord, Lille, Brest, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus, Celtic

Uncertainty of progress: PSV, Club Brugge, Benfica, PSG, Sporting, Stuttgart, Manchester City, Dinamo Zagreb, Shakhtar Donetsk

Elimination: Bologna, Sparta Prague, RB Leipzig, Girona, Red Star Belgrade, Sturm Graz, Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys

A match day to go! 😲#UCL pic.twitter.com/jEYfEM9kTC

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 22, 2025

Possible scenarios

Top-Eight (Places 1-8)
It would take a mathematical miracle to deny Arsenal and Inter Milan, as good as they are.
The same can be said for Atletico Madrid and AC Milan.
That probably leaves Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen. With Leverkusen’s hosts Sparta Prague looking down, it looks like Xabi Alonso’s men will not progress. Atalanta will have to visit Barcelona, ​​an altogether more difficult task.
If the Europa League champions are stuck in Catalonia, Aston Villa can take advantage and move into the top eight with a win against Celtic at Villa Park.

Playoffs (Places 9-24)
There are currently some big names in positions nine to 24 – Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain apart from the three.
Madrid and Bayern will look to win their final games to lock in the seeding spot which means they cannot face another side ranked nine to 16.
PSG’s hopes received a huge boost last night following their stunning comeback from 2-0 down to beat Manchester City 4-2 at the Parc des Princes.

Those who look in from the outside (verses 25-36)
City lead the list of three teams who currently sit outside the playoff spots but who could still advance. The list also includes Dinamo Zagreb and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Pep Guardiola’s expensively assembled side are two points off a play-off spot and must beat Club Brugge at the Etihad next week to stand any chance. In a normal season, it would be seen as one game but City have been uncharacteristically poor this term and they come up against a Brugge side unbeaten in 19 games.
All other sides are removed.

Here are the Opta Supercomputer predictions after tonight’s games and with just one matchday remaining in the UEFA Champions League league stage in 2024-25.

Keep up to date on https://t.co/EZ2xKssZGg ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/yoJYbJOBry

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) January 22, 2025

How do the playoffs work?

Teams nine to 16 are seeded and will play the team that finished 17 to 24 over the two legs with the second leg at home.

Teams are put into pairs for a mini draw. Therefore, the teams that finish ninth and 10th will play against the teams that are ranked 23rd or 24th. Similarly, teams ranked 11th and 12th will play against teams ranked 21st or 22nd.

The eight teams that win the playoff round will advance to the round of 16 and face the eight teams that will automatically qualify through the group stage.

When is the playoff draw?

The draw will take place on Friday, January 31 at 11am UK GMT.

ℹ️ New format. New draw.#UCLdraw | #UELdraw | #UECLdraw pic.twitter.com/QKTwVPMhQU

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 20, 2024

When are the playoff games?

They are staged in two weeks.
The first leg will be held on February 11 and 12 and the second leg a week later on February 18 and 19.