We have reached the final matchday of the UEFA Champions League league phase. Seven rounds of action have given fans plenty to look forward to heading into Wednesday’s final day of play.

There are 18 sides who have clinched a spot in the knockout rounds, two of which have secured a place in the last 16. A further nine sides have been eliminated. The remaining six places in the knockout round playoffs are up for grabs between nine teams.

With direct clashes, teams competing with different goals, among others, this matchday will be unforgettable. Here is a preview of each of the 18 matches, which will all kick off at 21:00 CET.

UEFA Champions League Matchday 8: Dead-Rubber Games

There are two matches that will have no consequence due to both sides involved being eliminated. One will take place in Switzerland, as Young Boys (0 points, 36th place) hosts Crvena zvezda (3, 32nd). The pair have had several meetings down the years, with the Swiss champions prevailing in their home leg last season. In six head-to-heads, each team has one victory.

The other match with virtually nothing on the line is between Sturm Graz (3, 33rd) and RB Leipzig (3, 30th). This will be the second time that the German side has been paired with an Austrian outfit. They lost both games against RB Salzburg in the Europa League in 2018/19. Sturm, who had already been defeated to Borussia Dortmund earlier in the league phase, is looking for just their second victory against a side from Germany (1-0-7).

UEFA Champions League Matchday 8: Direct Clashes

There are three such direct duels to conclude the Champions League league phase. That includes our choice for tie of the round between Stuttgart (10, 24th) and Paris Saint-Germain (10, 22nd). Both sides need a point to be involved in Friday’s knockout round playoffs draw. However, defeat could lead to elimination, should at least one of Manchester City, Dinamo Zagreb, and Shakhtar Donetsk could win. The Bundesliga outfit is looking for a first UCL knockout round since 2009/10.

The other two direct clashes in this round involve spots in the top eight of the league phase. Internazionale (16, 4th) hosts AS Monaco (13, 10th), with the former just needing a point to clinch a place in the round of 16. Having kept six clean sheets in seven league phase matches, the Nerazzurri have already shown how hard they are to break down. For Monaco, who beat Bologna on matchday 4, this is their best UCL campaign since 2016/17 when they reached the semifinals.

Lille (13, 12th) and Feyenoord (13, 11th) are in for a fascinating clash in France. The winner, if there is one will have a high chance of finishing in the top eight. In six previous matches against Dutch opposition, Les Dogues have never come out victorious. In fact, they have lost all but one of those games. For Feyenoord, they are already guaranteed go get past this stage for the first time since 1999/2000.

The Top Dogs

There are two clubs who have clinched a place in the round of 16. Barcelona (18, 2nd) needs a win at home to round of 16 hopefuls Atalanta (14, 7th) plus a Liverpool loss, to finish atop the league phase. It will not be easy for Blaugrana, as Atalanta also requires victory to join them in the last 16. Anything less for La Dea, and they will have to partake in the knockout playoffs.

In Netherlands, PSV Eindhoven (11, 19th) has the league phase pacesetters Liverpool (21, 1st). The Reds are a point away from top spot, and could join Chelsea as the only teams to go perfect in a UEFA club competition league phase. PSV, who has never beaten their opponent (0-1-5), requires a point to assure a place in the knockout rounds. It may not be necessary though, depending on results elsewhere.

On the Outside Looking In

There are three clubs who are currently in an elimination spot, but can still advance. One of those sides is Manchester City (8, 25th), who welcomes Club Brugge (11, 20th). In essence, City, who has never lost to Belgian opposition, will be through with a victory. Anything less than that will eliminate them. As for the Belgian champions, a point will guarantee progress, though it is very likely they will advance even with defeat. They are also looking for consecutive victories over English opposition for the first time since 1984.

After a crushing defeat last week, Dinamo Zagreb (8, 26th) is in need of a victory at home to AC Milan (15, 6th). It will be far from easy for the Croatian champions, who have lost in all six previous head-to-heads. To make matters worse for them, Milan still needs three point as well, in order to secure top eight. Dinamo has never gotten past this stage of the Champions League. As such, this is their best chance to do so.

Borussia Dortmund (12, 14th) will look to finish off  Shakhtar Donetsk (7, 27th), with the Ukrainians needing a miracle to progress. Not only is a victory in Dortmund required, but several other teams would have to lose. As for Die Schwarzgelben, unbeaten in eight versus teams from Ukraine, they still have hope of qualifying directly for the last 16. A win here would at least give them hope, though, like Shakhtar, they would need quite a bit of help.

Eliminated Sides to Play Spoilers?

Sporting CP (10, 23rd) still has some work to do to advance as they take on an already-eliminated Bologna (5, 28th). The Serie A side got their maiden UCL win last time out, but it was not enough to keep them in the competition. Now they have a chance to assist in knocking Sporting out as well. After all, the Portuguese champions lost to another team already out last week. Overall, their record against Italian opponents is very weak (5-15-15).

Despite losing thrice in this league phase – something that has never happened before to Bayern Munich (12, 15th) – they take on Slovan Bratislava (0, 35th) with hopes of a top eight spot. There still remains a chance for the Bavarians, albeit a rather small one. It is the first time the sides meet each other, and Slovan, who is playing the last game of their first appearance in the UCL proper, will hope to go out on a high.

Bayer Leverkusen (13, 8th) does not have a top eight place secured yet, and will have to beat Czechia’s Sparta Praha (4, 29th) to give themselves the best shot at foregoing the knockout playoffs. Die Werkself did come out on top in the sides’ only previous meeting, back in the UEFA Cup days. Still, Sparta could have hope of causing a stunner, as they hold a decent record of 4-5-5 against Bundesliga opponents.

RB Salzburg (3, 34th) will conclude their UCL campaign at home to Atlético Madrid (15, 5th). While the are still in a good spot to qualify for the last 16, Atleti could use at least a point from this one to avoid the knockout playoffs. They have never lost in eight matches versus teams from Austria. Salzburg, meanwhile, has failed to win any of their home games thus far.

Girona (3, 31st), also eliminated, welcomes Arsenal (16, 3rd) to conclude their maiden European run. The Gunners are a foot and a half into the last 16, and will confirm their place if they a avoid defeat. The LaLiga club hosted another English team in this league phase, falling to Liverpool. They will hope for better this time as their continental journey comes to an end.

Jostling for Position

The last three games mentioned are largely teams pushing to finish higher in the rankings. That is certainly the case in France, where Stade Brestois (13, 13th) hosts Real Madrid (12, 16th). Brest, partaking in Europe for the very first time, have impressed in their matches. Beating the record champions would give them a reasonable shot at the top eight. While Real could also finish eighth or higher, it is very unlikely, as they would need too many things to go their way.

Juventus (12, 17th) faces off versus Benfica (10, 21st). The former could still pull off a miracle and go directly to the last 16, while the latter still has the possibility of being eliminated. Neither of those are likely to happen, though. Benfica has dominated the head-to-head between th two, winning six of eight previous meetings (6-1-1). A point is all they need to guarantee a knockout round place.

The other tie of the night is the all-British affair between Aston Villa (13, 9th) and Celtic (12, 18th). A victory should be enough for Villa to clinch a top eight place, while Celtic will try to climb up the rankings even more. The Glasgow-based club has a 7-7-6 record against English teams, which is quite solid. Meanwhile, Villa knocked off Hibernian in the Conference League playoff round last season.