Four more clubs went into the hat for the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday, with a total of nine clubs now through to the knockout stages.
Chelsea, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain became the latest clubs to qualify for the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday, taking the total number of teams through to the knockout stages to nine.
Tuesday’s Champions League action: a summary
In one of the day’s early kickoffs, Chelsea beat RB Salzburg to book their place in the next round, Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz scoring for Graham Potter’s men in a 2-1 win in Austria. The two-time European champions were then confirmed as Group E winners when Dinamo Zagreb failed to beat AC Milan later in the evening. On matchday six, Milan host Salzburg knowing a draw will be enough to send them through with Chelsea.
One of the first teams to qualify for the last 16, Madrid would have won Group F had they avoided defeat away to RB Leipzig. However, goals by Josep Gvardiol, Christopher Nkunku and Timo Werner condemned Los Blancos to a 3-2 defeat - their first loss in all competitions this season - and Carlo Ancelotti’s men must now beat Celtic next week to be sure of top spot. Leipzig, who host Shakhtar Donetsk on matchday six, need a point to go through.
Having qualified for the last 16 on matchday five, Manchester City won Group G with a 0-0 draw away to Borussia Dortmund, in a game that saw Riyad Mahrez miss a second-half penalty. A point was also enough for Dortmund to punch their ticket to the knockout stages. Sevilla briefly gave themselves hope of qualifying when they beat Copenhagen 3-0 earlier in the day, but the Spaniards are now guaranteed to finish third in the group and drop into the Europa League.
PSG and Benfica both qualified from Group H on Tuesday, and will battle it out for top spot on matchday six. The Parisians thumped Maccabi Haifa 7-2 at the Parc des Princes, with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé both scoring braces, while Benfica saw off Juventus in a 4-3 thriller in Lisbon. Not only are Juve now out of the race for a last-16 place, but they’re not even certain of Europa League football. The Italians, who host PSG on matchday six, head into the final round of group games level on points with Maccabi.
Champions League last 16: qualified teams
*Confirmed as group winners
What’s in store in Wednesday’s Champions League games?
In Group A, already-through Napoli take on Rangers knowing they will clinch first place if they better Liverpool’s result. The Reds, who visit Ajax, will confirm their qualification if they avoid defeat in Amsterdam.
Club Brugge have booked their berth in the knockouts, and will win Group B if they win or draw against Porto. If the Portuguese beat Brugge, meanwhile, Atlético Madrid must win against Bayer Leverkusen to keep their hopes of going through alive.
In Group C, Bayern are already guaranteed their place in the last 16, and will top the section if they defeat Barcelona or if Inter Milan fail to win against Viktoria Plzen. Victory for Inter will see them join Bayern in the next round. The Italians will also qualify if both group games are drawn, or if Barça lose.
In Group D, where the top three are separated by a single point, leaders Tottenham Hotspur will qualify if they win against Sporting CP. If Spurs take all three points and Marseille lose to Eintracht Frankfurt, Antonio Conte’s men will win the group. Marseille will be through if they and Spurs both win, while third-placed Sporting will qualify on Wednesday if they beat Tottenham and Marseille draw with Frankfurt. The Germans must win to stay in contention for a top-two finish.