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By LUKE POWER, SPORTS REPORTER Published: 09: 49 AEDT, 29 January 2026 | Updated: 19: 00 AEDT, 29 January 2026 115 View comments England's Champions League clubs have learned their potential last 16 opponents after five of them finished in the top eight to automatically qualify. Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, and Manchester City are all through to the last 16, leaving only Newcastle to negotiate the play-offs. In a madcap league phase finale, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain were forced into the play-offs, Napoli were knocked out altogether, and Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored a 98th-minute header to keep Jose Mourinho's side in the competition. Newcastle drew 1-1 at PSG and must therefore play Monaco or Qarabag in a two-legged tie in February to see if they can join their fellow Premier League sides. If they make it to the last 16, they will then face Barcelona or Chelsea. Arsenal will face Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, or Olympiacos in the last 16 after finishing top of the league phase. Mikel Arteta's men edged out Kazakh side Kairat 3-2 at the Emirates to become the first club to win all eight league phase games since the new format came in last season. Arsenal will face Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, or Olympiacos in the last 16 of the Champions League after topping the league phase with a clean sweep of victories Liverpool will play Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, or Galatasaray after finishing third Newcastle must endure a play-off against Monaco or Qarabag, before facing either Barcelona or Chelsea in the last 16 Liverpool and Tottenham will play either Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, or Galatasaray after finishing third and fourth in the league phase. Arne Slot's side hammered Qarabag 6-0 at Anfield to continue their fine Champions League form while Tottenham got the job done at Frankfurt with a 2-0 win. Chelsea will face PSG, Newcastle, Monaco, or Qarabag in the last 16 after clinching a 3-2 comeback win at Newcastle thanks to Joao Pedro's second-half double. And Manchester City - who just made the last 16 by finishing eighth - will play Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Bodo/Glimt, or Benfica in the knockout stages after beating Galatasaray 2-0. Peering further into the tournament, Arsenal and Manchester City are in the same segment of the draw so could be on a collision course in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Liverpool and Tottenham will not meet each other at that stage but could come up against Chelsea or Newcastle. Arsenal, Liverpool, and Tottenham have all earned a home game in the second leg of their last-16 and potential quarter-final ties thanks to coming in the top four. The Gunners will also play the second leg of their semi-final at home - if indeed they get that far - thanks to finishing in the top two. Tottenham came fourth and have the same potential opponents as Liverpool: Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, or Galatasaray Chelsea will come up against PSG, Newcastle, Monaco, or Qarabag in the last 16 Manchester City face the prospect of playing either Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Bodo/Glimt, or Benfica 1. Arsenal - 24pts 2. Bayern Munich - 21pts 3. Liverpool - 18pts 4. Tottenham - 17pts 5. Barcelona - 16pts 6. Chelsea - 16pts 7. Sporting Lisbon - 16pts 8. Manchester City - 16pts 9. Real Madrid - 15pts 10. Inter - 15pts 11. PSG - 14pts 12. Newcastle - 14pts 13. Juventus - 13pts 14. Atletico Madrid- 13pts 15. Atalanta - 13pts 16. Bayer Leverkusen - 12pts 17. Borussia Dortmund - 11pts 18. Olympiacos - 11pts 19. Club Brugge - 10pts 20. Galatasaray- 10pts 21. Monaco - 10pts 22. Qarabag - 10pts 23. Bodo/Glimt - 9pts 24. Benfica - 9. 25pts 25. Marseille - 9pts 26. Pafos - 9pts 27. Union Saint-Gilloise - 9pts 28. PSV - 8pts 29. Athletic Bilbao - 8pts 30. Napoli - 8pts 31. Copenhagen - 8pts 32. Ajax - 6pts 33. Eintracht Frankfurt - 4pts 34. Slavia Prague - 3pts 35. Villarreal - 1pt 36. Kairat - 1pt The other teams who made the top eight were Bayern Munich (second), Barcelona (fifth), and Sporting Lisbon (seventh), who scored a 94th-minute winner at Athletic Bilbao to seal automatic qualification and knock Real Madrid into the play-offs. Avoiding the play-offs in February is a massive boost for teams in giving them time for recovery and preparation. Arsenal (last 16) Atalanta Bayer Leverkusen Borussia Dortmund Olympiacos Liverpool (last 16) Juventus Atletico Madrid Club Brugge Galatasaray Tottenham (last 16) Juventus Atletico Madrid Club Brugge Galatasaray Chelsea (last 16) PSG Newcastle Monaco Qarabag Manchester City (last 16) Real Madrid Inter Milan Bodo/Glimt Benfica Newcastle (play-offs) Monaco Qarabag Newcastle (last 16) Barcelona Chelsea Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior summed up the impact as such: 'That's huge. It gives us a chance to really work with the players on the training ground. I'm delighted that we're through in this manner. ' Howe said: 'Of course we wanted to go through automatically, but we won't look at those games as a negative. 'We're in a busy schedule and have had a lot of games this season but we have a conscientious group of players and this is just another challenge they've got to rise to. ' As for Newcastle, they will now have to play eight matches in February as they also have four Premier League games, a Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at Manchester City, and an FA Cup fourth-round trip to Aston Villa. In terms of big play-off ties, Mourinho could face Real Madrid again with Benfica - having just defeated them 4-2 in Lisbon. Benfica's goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored a 98th-minute header to seal a place in the play-offs and knock out Marseille Real Madrid lost 4-2 at Benfica and dropped out of the top eight as a result Paris Saint-Germain were also forced into the play-offs after drawing 1-1 at home vs Newcastle Knockout phase play-offs Pairing I: 9/10 vs 23/24 Pairing II: 11/12 vs 21/22 Pairing III: 13/14 vs 19/20 Pairing IV: 15/16 vs 17/18 Round of 16 Pairing A: 1/2 vs Winners IV Pairing B: 3/4 vs Winners III Pairing C: 5/6 vs Winners II Pairing D: 7/8 vs Winners I Quarter-finals Pairing 1: Winners A vs Winners D Pairing 2: Winners B vs Winners C Semi-finals: Winners 1 vs Winners 2 Meanwhile, PSG may have to negotiate an all-French contest against Monaco. The draw for the play-offs is on Friday.
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