The Champions League is quite lively, and it has now reached the seventh round of competition. As everyone knows, the Champions League is different from the league in that most teams that can participate in the Champions League are not to be underestimated. Therefore, as the competition progresses to the seventh round, some updates to the leaderboard are worth noting. The latest situation with the Champions League points sees two teams having already secured their positions, leaving only six direct qualification spots remaining, with Real Madrid and Manchester City's fate depending on others. (Points updated as of January 22nd)
We should know that some teams have already completed their matches in the seventh round. So what does the leaderboard look like now? If we talk about the top two teams in the direct promotion zone, Liverpool and Barcelona, after winning in the seventh round, Liverpool has 21 points, while Barcelona has 18 points. These two teams have already determined their positions, securing two direct promotion spots. Liverpool currently has a perfect record of seven wins, while Barcelona has six wins and one loss, with both teams holding a relatively clear advantage.
Liverpool and Barcelona have already reserved two spots, meaning there are only six direct promotion spots left. These six spots will be contested by the remaining teams. After winning in the seventh round, Atletico Madrid's points have reached 15, temporarily ranking third in the leaderboard. However, Atletico Madrid played their match earlier, so their third place is not stable. Overall, Atletico Madrid has taken an initial position, allowing them to take the initiative somewhat; let's see how the other teams perform.
The teams ranked fourth to eighth are Atalanta, Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Inter Milan, and Aston Villa, with points standing at 14, 13, 13, 13, and 13 respectively. Among these teams, Arsenal and Inter Milan have played one less game, and their seventh-round matches have not yet been played. Therefore, if they can win, they will still be able to improve their rankings to the top eight, making themselves more proactive, as the competition is quite fierce.
Currently, the teams ranked ninth to twenty-fourth in the playoff zone are Brest, Monaco, Lille, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Club Brugge, Benfica, Sporting CP, Feyenoord, Stuttgart, Real Madrid, Celtic, and Manchester City. Their points are 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 10, 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, and 8 respectively.
Among these playoff teams, some also have the opportunity to break into the top eight, especially since some teams have played fewer games. As for Real Madrid and Manchester City, to a certain extent, they still have to rely on the performance of other teams. In summary, this season's Champions League group stage is quite exciting, and the remaining matches in the seventh round are very important. As for some teams in the elimination zone, their points are not mentioned here as they have already been eliminated from the competition and are just going through the motions.