Champions League Matchday 7: Arsenal maintains flawless record; competition for top eight intensifies
The second-to-last matchday of the Champions League group stage produced a series of unpredictable results. The less logic you applied to the outcomes, the more satisfying it seemed.
Manchester City being thoroughly outplayed by Bodo/Glimt during Pep Guardiola’s inaugural visit to the Arctic Circle? Absolutely! Sporting CP netting two goals in the final 20 minutes to triumph over PSG? Why not! A ten-man Copenhagen creating nearly all the significant second-half chances and earning points against a Napoli side now facing the threat of elimination? Makes perfect sense!
Athletic Club, who had managed just four goals in 6.5 matches, scoring three in a mere 16 minutes to snatch three points and drop Atalanta from a potential third to 13th in the standings? Naturally! Tottenham Hotspur, struggling with poor form and a coach (Thomas Frank) on the verge of dismissal, completely outclassing Borussia Dortmund to climb significantly higher in the Champions League standings (fifth) compared to their Premier League position (14th)? Why not? Qarabag pulling off yet another stunning upset? Not surprising!
The outcome of this chaotic round: As we approach the final matchday of the group stage, only two teams are assured of a top-eight finish and a bye to the round of 16 (Arsenal and Bayern Munich), while four teams have no chance of progressing to the knockout stage (Kairat Almaty, Slavia Prague, and the disappointingly underperforming Villarreal and Eintracht Frankfurt). The remaining 30 teams still have something to fight for.
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The table, and the top remaining storylines
Here’s the current state of the extensive group stage table, featuring each team’s points and goal differential, along with their chances of advancing to the round of 16 and winning the title, according to xStandings.com.
Almost everyone has something to compete for. With 10 teams clustered at 12 or 13 points, the battle for a top-eight finish is likely to become quite chaotic next week, and with eight teams sitting at either eight or nine points, the same could apply for the final spots in the 24-team knockout rounds. When advocates were promoting the so-called Swiss Model — the open schedule and table that replaced the traditional group stage — this is the kind of scenario they envisioned. Out of 18 matches on the final matchday next Wednesday, only one (Kairat’s visit to Arsenal) lacks significant stakes.
Arsenal remain unbeaten. Technically, Bayern could still finish at the top of the table if Kairat pulls off a monumental upset at the Emirates next week, but the odds are heavily in Arsenal’s favor for that scenario. In fact, they are favored to complete a perfect 8-for-8 in the group stage. With nearly every other major club (aside from Bayern) experiencing fluctuations this season, Arsenal, with their solid defense, newfound depth, and exceptional set-piece execution, have emerged as a reliable force.
Big Five clubs on the edge. A surprising draw against ten-man Copenhagen has seen Napoli drop to 25th in the standings. Only 24 teams advance to the knockout rounds. With Villarreal and Eintracht Frankfurt already out after disappointing performances, and Athletic Club not guaranteed a spot — their comeback victory at Atalanta lifted them to 23rd, but they face a red-hot Sporting CP next week — it’s possible that several teams from the Big Five leagues may not progress to the knockout stage. Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, and Monaco are also not completely safe yet.
About 16 teams still have a chance at a top-eight finish. Atletico Madrid and Atalanta both squandered prime chances to climb into the top five and are now mired in a congested group of teams with 13 points. While Arsenal and Bayern have secured top-eight finishes and Liverpool is close to doing so, no one else is entirely secure from the round-of-24 playoff. The live table will likely fluctuate significantly during next Wednesday’s simultaneous matches.
Ranking all 36 teams after Matchday 7
We have a clear picture of the table, in all its chaotic detail. But which teams are currently performing well? Here’s my ranking of each Champions League team, from one to 36.
(Note: These rankings reflect my personal assessment of where teams stand at this moment: they are not intended to directly mirror the current table.)
1. Arsenal. According to StatsPerform data, Arsenal has netted 25 set-piece goals across all competitions, and in the 18 matches from which these goals originated, the Gunners have won 17 (plus one draw). Essentially, Gabriel Jesus’ goal in the 31st minute against Inter at the San Siro, which came from a corner and put Arsenal ahead 2-1, effectively sealed the match. I’m not sure why they needed to play the remaining 59 minutes (though it did allow Victor Gyokeres a chance to contribute to the scoring as well).
2. Bayern München. They overwhelmed RB Leipzig last weekend with relentless chance creation and effective finishing (five goals from shots worth 4.6 xG), but while the former was not an issue against Union Saint-Gilloise, the latter was lacking. I had forgotten it was even possible for Harry Kane to miss a penalty, but he did, and Bayern managed just two goals from shots worth 3.1 xG.
Of course, Kane still scored twice, and if they continue to generate over 3.0 xG in every match, they are likely to be in good shape. Bayern is well-positioned for a favorable knockout-round draw.
3. Barcelona (up 7 spots since Matchday 6). Slavia Prague did a commendable job of stifling the Barcelona attack and limiting high-quality opportunities — of Barca’s 20 shot attempts, only two were valued at over 0.1 xG. However, Robert Lewandowski converted one of those high-quality chances, Dani Olmo scored with a long-range strike, and Barca drew six offsides while preventing any significant transitions after Vasil Kusej’s early goal.
Dani Olmo with a GOLAZO to put Barcelona in front 🚀
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— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 21, 2026
Barcelona executed their game plan effectively, and with many other teams in this ranking area failing to do so recently, they have climbed to third place here.
4. Real Madrid (up 3). What’s the best way to alleviate some pressure when you’re struggling, just dismissed your highly regarded new manager, Xabi Alonso, after only half a season, and your fans are booing both the players and the club president? Face a team in even worse form than yourself! Monaco has lost eight of its last 14 matches across all competitions (five by multiple goals), and Real Madrid decisively defeated them 6-1, with an early brace from Kylian Mbappé and stunning goals from Vinícius Júnior and, for the first time in the Champions League, Franco Mastantuono.
Vinícius Júnior with a STUNNING strike 😮💨🔥
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— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 20, 2026
Granted, they allowed Monaco to attempt 20 shots and generate 1.4 xG, but attacking is enjoyable, and Real Madrid did that consistently (25 shots, 3.9 xG).
Mbappe’s brace brought his total to 11 goals in the competition; he is far ahead of the competition, having generated the most combined goals and assists in the Champions League … without any assists.
5. PSG (down 1). This time last year, PSG’s transition into the World’s Best Club was well underway. Between late November 2024 and mid-April 2025, they lost just once. They have currently lost twice since January 12. They were slightly unfortunate in their 2-1 defeat to Sporting — their 28 shots produced 1.4 xG while Sporting’s 10 generated just 0.9 — and Achraf Hakimi has yet to return to the squad following AFCON disappointment. However, we are still waiting for them to hit their peak performance in both Champions League play and Ligue 1 (where they still trail Lens by a point).
6. Inter Milan. There’s no shame in losing to Atletico Madrid (2-1) or to Liverpool (1-0) and Arsenal (3-1) at home, but those are Inter’s last three Champions League results. They remain unbeaten in their last 11 non-UEFA matches, so confidence is not lacking, but they now require a result at Borussia Dortmund in Matchday 8 to secure a top-eight finish after starting the group stage with four consecutive victories.
7. Manchester City (down 4). City concluded 2025 on an eight-match winning streak and appeared to be returning to their best form. Since then, they have won only two of their last seven. Losses to Manchester United and Bodo/Glimt, each by multiple goals, were certainly not what I anticipated this week. Things may improve when new signing Marc Guéhi gets acclimated, but their transition defense appears to be as weak as it has ever been. (Then again, I’ve mentioned that frequently over the past 14 months.)
8. Liverpool (up 6). Mo Salah missed a significant chance but contributed with his passing, while Alexis Mac Alister and Ryan Gravenberch excelled in midfield, and Dominik Szoboszlai did something we are becoming quite accustomed to at this point.
A Dominik Szoboszlai special 🔥
Pure class past the Marseille wall 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/0Yrxlv5rB1
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 21, 2026
When Liverpool avoids breakdowns in transition, they remain very effective. They limited Marseille’s chances and transformed a potentially challenging away match into a comfortable 3-0 victory.
9. Newcastle (up 3). Consistency has been a challenge for Newcastle this season — for every outstanding performance, there has been an equally disappointing one, such as last Sunday’s scoreless draw with Wolves (or the meek 2-0 loss a few days prior). However, when they perform well, they are exceptional, and Wednesday’s 3-0 victory over PSV fell into the “exceptional” category. They didn’t bombard Matej Kovar’s goal with endless chances, but every opportunity they created was high quality; both Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes found the net (they have combined for 21 goals in all competitions this season), and with a goal and an assist, Yoane Wissa delivered his best performance in a Newcastle shirt with only 26 touches.
Dominant stuff.
Yoane Wissa pounces on PSV's mistake to set up Anthony Gordon for his sixth #UCL goal of the season🔥
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— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 21, 2026
10. Chelsea (down 5). Pafos have proven to be quite challenging to face in this competition — aside from a 5-1 defeat to Bayern that got away from them, they have allowed just seven goals in eight matches — so simply taking care of business and securing three points was commendable for Chelsea. However, after managing only two wins in their previous eight matches, it was reasonable to expect a bit more than an average of 0.09 xG per shot and no goals from open play.
play0:54Have Chelsea secured Champions League qualification after victory vs. Pafos?
The ESPN “FC TV” crew reacts to Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Pafos FC in the UEFA Champions League.
11. Tottenham Hotspur (down 3). In their last 10 matches across all competitions, Spurs have won three times — two in two Champions League matches and one in the other eight. That’s not quite how it’s supposed to go. Admittedly, Borussia Dortmund were poor from the outset and received a red card in the 26th minute, but Spurs established dominance and played the type of composed, creative football that has been lacking under Thomas Frank.
12. Atletico Madrid (down 3). Diego Simeone’s team controlled the match at Galatasaray, producing shots worth 1.4 to their hosts’ 0.5, but a disastrous own goal by Marcos Llorente in the 20th minute meant they had to settle for a draw. A victory would have propelled them to fifth, but now they are part of the large group of teams with 13 points.
13. Borussia Dortmund (down 2). They were hampered against Spurs by a 26th-minute red card for Daniel Svensson, but make no mistake: they were struggling even before that. This effectively extinguished any hope of a bye to the round of 16.
14. Sporting CP (up 5). Want to become a significant nuisance in a knockout-round scenario? Always win at home. Sporting has secured 12 points from four Champions League home matches, including Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over PSG, and they are firmly in contention for a top-eight finish because of it. (Granted, they also have one point from three away matches, but we’re focusing on the positives here.)
Since October 1, they have not lost in Primeira Liga play, and their only defeat in the Champions League has come against Bayern. This is a very strong team, and 28-year-old Luis Suárez has emerged as quite the late bloomer — he had never scored more than eight goals in a season with a first-division club, and he has netted 22 goals for Sporting in January. This includes a brace against PSG.
Luis Suárez AT THE DEATH! PSG are left stunned 🤯
Every goal from every game available for FREE on The Golazo Show – right now CBS Sports Golazo Network via the CBS Sports app 📲 pic.twitter.com/ZUIBGlqk3F
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 20, 2026
15. Atalanta (down 2). Like Atletico, Atalanta had a prime opportunity to climb significantly in the standings and enhance their chances of advancing to the round of 16. They even took a 1-0 lead at home against Athletic Club and allowed only four shot attempts all evening.
However, three of those shots found the back of the net in quick succession, turning their 1-0 lead into a frustrating 3-2 defeat. They will need a victory at Union Saint-Gilloise to have a chance at the top eight.
16. Juventus (up 2). When Juventus faces a Jose Mourinho team, stereotypes suggest a battle with few high-quality scoring chances. In fact, there were only three shot attempts throughout the match worth over 0.1 xG and only two worth over 0.2. Benfica missed a penalty, and Weston McKennie — who rarely seems to miss in the Champions League — converted his high-quality chance (0.64 xG) into a goal.
WESTON MCKENNIE WIZARDRY ✨
The #USMNT midfielder has now scored in three consecutive #UCL appearances 🔥 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/7FGif3KRPt
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 21, 2026
McKennie has scored in three straight Champions League matches. May “Big Game Wes” make numerous World Cup appearances this summer.
17. Bayer Leverkusen (down 2). This was overshadowed by other disappointing results, and they certainly faced some misfortune with the xG (xG: Leverkusen 2.6, Olympiacos 1.0), but what a poor outcome for the Bundesliga side Leverkusen on Tuesday. The defeat eliminated them from a potential top-eight finish, meaning it’s round-of-24 or bust for Kasper Hjulmand’s squad. Christian Kofane, Lucas Vázquez, and Patrik Schick combined for five shots worth 2.0 xG and put three of them on target, but none found the net. (Creating high-value chances is a positive, at least.)
18. Marseille (down 2). They experienced their worst loss of the season on Wednesday at home against Liverpool, although the underlying xG figures (Liverpool 1.5
