Advancing to the Champions League semi-finals: the second-placed giants await

The Champions League group stage is over. All the qualifiers for the eighth round are decided, but there were some surprises in some groups. Which teams will be lurking in the draw as unseeded?

In Group A, there was the first surprise. Last year’s Champions League finalist Liverpool were expected to finish first and Napoli were expected to take on Ajax for second place. But the Italian side is in fabulous form, outplaying all the teams and losing only in the last game when nothing was at stake.

Thus, Naples will advance from the first place, Liverpool will wait as an unpleasant opponent from the second place. Group B was also expected to be different. However, Atlético Madrid did not advance at all and finished in last place. Porto are first, with Bruges advancing from second place.

Group C did not turn out as expected either. Barcelona were supposed to play Bayern for first place, but they didn’t even beat Inter and didn’t qualify at all. Bayern are now in first place without losing a point, Inter are second.

Group D was the most exciting of all and all teams could have advanced until the last minute of the last game. In the end, luck smiled on Tottenham (1st) and Frankfurt (2nd).

There were no big surprises in Group E, with Chelsea moving on from first place and AC Milan securing second place. Group F didn’t offer any shocks either, with Real Madrid holding on to first place and Leipzig coming from second place to reach the eight finals.

In Group G, Manchester City is the clear leader, while Dortmund and Sevilla should have been tied for second place, but the German side was more successful. Group H offered incredible drama until the last seconds. PSG and Benfica, who have the same number of points and identical scores (16::7), fought for the first place from a distance. In the end, goals scored away from home decided the match and the Portuguese were first.

Naples, Porto, Bayern, Tottenham, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Benfica

Unseeded teams for the semi-finals:
Liverpool, Bruges, Inter, Frankfurt, AC Milan, Leipzig, Dortmund, PSG

Teams from the same country and, logically, teams from the same group are not yet allowed to play each other in the Eight Finals. Bayern, for example, will have a rather slim selection, as they are not allowed to play Inter, Frankfurt, Leipzig or Dortmund. Liverpool, Brugge, AC Milan and PSG will be waiting in the pool.

Liverpool, on the other hand, will take on Napoli, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City. The Reds can only face Porto, Bayern, Real Madrid and Benfica Lisbon. The draw is scheduled for Monday, November 7.

Source: UEFA, Champions League