Before the final matchday in the league phase of the Champions League, only champion Bayer Leverkusen of the five German clubs has direct participation in the round of 16 in their own hands. Despite the 2-1 defeat at Atlético Madrid, the Werkself are currently in the all-important eighth place with 13 points and have good cards ahead of the home game against the already eliminated Czech champions Sparta Prague. Nevertheless, Bayer has to be careful, Aston Villa are level on points with a goal difference that is one goal worse.
Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, in 14th and 15th place with twelve points each, will probably have to do an extra round in the playoffs. However, the two clubs can no longer completely slip out of the playoff places. The same applies to defending champions Real Madrid as 16th in the table.
Final for Stuttgart
Things look trickier for VfB Stuttgart. The Swabians are just above the line in 24th place with ten points, but at the end they have to deal with the French champions Paris Saint-Germain, who have the same number of points. Even a draw could not be enough, as there is a threat from behind, among others, from English champions Manchester City (8).
Despite the 2-1 win against Sporting Lisbon, RB Leipzig already had no chance of progressing. A total of 27 of 36 teams are still in the race for the Henkel Cup. Liverpool FC and FC Barcelona have already secured direct participation in the round of 16.
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