With all four Premier League clubs having negotiated the Champions League group stage safely, attentions are about to turn to the draw for the knockout stages.
European champions Liverpool were the English side most at risk of elimination going into the final set of group games, but their marvellous 2-0 victory in Austria against Red Bull Salzburg 2-0 saw them not only qualify but also top their group.
Chelsea also put to bed the risk of elimination with a nervy 2-1 win over Lille, a result which knocked last season’s semi-finalists Ajax out of the competition. The two Premier League sides playing tonight are already safely through so will use their dead rubber fixtures as an opportunity to give some fringe players game time.
Manchester City are five points clear at the top of Group C as they travel to Dinamo Zagreb in the early kick-off, while Tottenham are guaranteed to finish second in their group, taking the sting out of what looks like a tough test against Bayern Munich. Despite the fact there is nothing riding on this game in particular, many of the players will be hoping to gain revenge for the 7-2 humiliation that occurred under Mauricio Pochettino’s reign earlier this season.
Tonight's games will be the final round of group stage fixtures, a stage that has seen several one-sided games and dead rubbers. The fact Bayern Munich and Tottenham are playing tonight with nothing riding on the game is a testament to the need for change.
As the two London clubs, Chelsea and Tottenham, finished second in their groups, they will face a group winner in the last 16. At this stage they cannot face another English club, nor a club who they were in the same group with. That leaves Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Barcelona and RB Leipzig as possibilities for both teams, while Chelsea could also play Bayern Munich and Spurs could meet Valencia.
For City and Liverpool, the group winners, things look slightly easier, but only just. Both teams could face Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Lyon, as well as one of Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen (depending on tonight's result) while Man City could also face Napoli.
The Reds will also be keeping an eye on Group C tonight as three teams battle for second spot, with Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta each having a chance to progress. Jurgen Klopp’s men will also have the possibility of facing one of those teams in the final 16.
If all this talk seems a little complex, the grid below hopefully should help you out. The draw will take place on Monday 16th December in Nyon, Switzerland and is due to get underway at 11am.
This is when things start to get tasty!
