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Champions League permutations: What each team needs to reach the round of 16

Dele Alli of Tottenham reacts after Bayer Leverkusen's goal

The Champions League returns this week with the penultimate round of group stage fixtures.

Following Tuesday night's games, Arsenal and Leicester are among 10 sides to have already qualified for the round of 16, while 10 clubs are now out of contention.

Here's our group-by-group rundown of what each club needs...

GROUP A

Standings

Team P W D L GD Pts
Arsenal 4 3 1 0 +9 10
PSG 4 3 1 0 +6 10
Ludogorets 4 0 1 3 -9 1
Basel 4 0 1 3 -6 1

Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain have already booked their places in the knockout stage, having each taken 10 points from their first four games. Top spot will go to the winner of Wednesday's meeting between the teams at the Emirates Stadium, but if they draw that game and the two clubs end up level on points, it would go down to their head-to-head record before overall goal difference.

So, if it's 0-0 in north London and both teams finish on 14 points after the final round of fixtures, Arsenal would go through as group winners thanks to their away goal in Paris.

It's a similar story with Ludogorets and Basel as they battle for the Europa League place. They are level on one point each at the moment, but Ludogorets currently occupy third spot because their away goal in their 1-1 draw at Basel gives them a superior head-to-head record.

SOFIA, BULGARIA - NOVEMBER 01: of Arsenal during the UEFA Champions League match between PFC Ludogorets Razgrad a
Image: Mesut Ozil celebrates after scoring for Arsenal against Ludogorets

GROUP B        

Standings

Team P W D L GD Pts
Napoli 4 2 1 1 +2 7
Benfica 4 2 1 1 +1 7
Besiktas 4 1 3 0 +1 6
Dynamo Kiev 4 0 1 3 -4 1

Napoli and Benfica will qualify if they win their games this week. Third-placed Besiktas will probably need to collect four points from their remaining two games (first up, it's Benfica at home) to have any chance, but Dynamo Kiev - who go to Napoli on Wednesday - are in an even tougher spot. The Ukrainians need to win both their games and hope other results go their way.  

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Napoli's Marek Hamsik (R) celebrates after scoring against Besiktas
Image: Napoli's Marek Hamsik (R) celebrates after scoring against Besiktas

GROUP C

Standings

Team P W D L GD Pts
Barcelona 4 3 0 1 +10 9
Man City 4 2 1 1 +2 7
B Monchengladbach 4 1 1 2 -3 4
Celtic 4 0 2 2 -9 2

A win over Celtic at Parkhead on Wednesday would guarantee Barcelona's place in the last 16, but they will go through regardless of their result if Borussia Monchengladbach fail to beat Manchester City at Borussia-Park.

If City beat Monchengladbach, they will guarantee their place in the knockout stage, while a draw would also be enough if Celtic fail to beat Barcelona. City will probably need to win both their remaining games to have any hope of beating Barca to top spot.

Celtic and Monchengladbach need to beat Group C's big guns to make it into the round of 16. The likelihood is that they will battle for the Europa League spot instead.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 01:  Neymar of Barcelona (C) is put under pressure from Fernandinho of Manchester City (L) and Pablo Zabaleta of Manchester
Image: Manchester City beat Barcelona at the Etihad Stadium

GROUP D

Standings

Team P W D L GD Pts
Atletico Madrid 4 4 0 0 +4 12
Bayern Munich 4 3 0 1 +8 9
PSV 4 0 1 3 -5 1
Rostov 4 0 1 3 -7 1

Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich are through, but Atletico are three points clear. The Bavarians will need to beat Diego Simeone's side at the Allianz Arena on December 6 to stand a chance of topping the group.

PSV Eindhoven and Rostov will compete for the Europa League place, with their meeting in the final round of games likely to prove decisive.

Yannick Ferreira Carrasco of Atletico Madrid scores the opening goal against Bayern Munich
Image: Yannick Ferreira Carrasco scored for Atletico Madrid against Bayern Munich

GROUP E

Standings

Team P W D L GD Pts
Monaco 5 3 2 0 +5 11
B Leverkusen 5 1 4 0 +1 7
Tottenham 5 1 1 3 -2 4
CSKA Moscow 5 0 3 2 -4 3

Tottenham will not feature in the round of 16 after defeat to Monaco, and will need a point against CSKA Moscow in their final group game at Wembley to seal Europa League football.

Group leaders Monaco have qualified for the knockout stages, along with Bayer Leverkusen who drew away to bottom club CSKA on Tuesday. 

The Russian side will battle it out with Spurs for a spot in the Europa League, and need an all-out win to take their place in that competition. 

Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur shows his frustration against Monaco
Image: Tottenham were knocked out of the Champions League this week

GROUP F

Standings

Team P W D L GD Pts
Borussia Dortmund 5 4 1 0 +12 13
Real Madrid 5 3 2 0 +6 11
Sporting Lisbon 5 1 0 4 -2 3
Legia Warsaw 5 0 1 4 -16 1

Borussia Dortmund were the only team in this section to have already guaranteed their passage to the round of 16 before matchday five, and they took an even stronger grip on top spot with a stunning 8-4 victory over Legia Warsaw.

They will top the group providing they do not get beaten by Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the final round of games. The Spanish giants have also qualified for the knockouts after beating Sporting Lisbon.

Sporting and Legia Warsaw will go head-to-head for a Europa League spot. A draw will be enough in Poland on December 7 to send the Portuguese side through, while their opponents will need a win to make the competition. 

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reacts after scoring for Dortmund against Real Madrid
Image: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reacts after scoring for Dortmund against Real Madrid

GROUP G

Standings

Team P W D L GD Pts
Leicester 5 4 1 0 +6 13
Porto 5 2 2 1 +1 8
FC Copenhagen 5 1 3 1 +3 6
Club Brugge 5 0 0 5 -10 0

Leicester guaranteed their place in the knockout stages with a 2-1 win against Club Brugge, who remain bottom of the table with no points and exit the European competition. 

The Foxes also top the group after a goalless draw between Porto and FC Copenhagen, who will need to wait until the final game week to decide who also goes through to the last 16.

Porto would qualify with a point at home to Leicester if Copenhagen lose or draw in Bruges, but a win for the Danish club would mean the Portuguese outfit would need all three points themselves to qualify, as they have an inferior goal difference. Both meetings between Porto and Copenhagen earlier in the competition ended all square, so head-to-head cannot separate them.

Islam Slimani celebrates with team-mates after scoring their first goal against FC Porto
Image: Islam Slimani celebrates after scoring for Leicester against Porto

GROUP H

Standings

Team P W D L GD Pts
Juventus 5 3 2 0 +7 11
Sevilla 5 3 1 1 +4 10
Lyon 5 2 1 2 +2 7
Dinamo Zagreb 5 0 0 5 -13 0

Sevilla missed the chance to take their place in the round of 16 after being beaten by Juventus, who have sealed their spot in the knockout stages after the 3-1 victory.

The current Europa League holders now need a point in their final game at Lyon, who are their direct competition for second place. The French side will need to win and better Sevilla's goal difference to knock them into third. 

If Lyon win, but do not better the goal difference, Sevilla will still go through to the knockout stages as they would both have one victory each in the head-to-head rule, but the La Liga outfit would edge it on goal difference.

If Sevilla win, they will ensure their spot in the last 16 and if Juve lose or draw at home to Dinamo Zagreb - who are already out of contention - they will go through as group winners.

Sevilla's  Sergio Escudero (L) vies with Juventus' Paulo Dybala
Image: Sevilla and Juventus are vying for top spot in Group H

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