Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Celtic are all chasing Champions League glory this season

Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Celtic are all chasing Champions League glory this season

The Champions League knockout phase is nearly here but 16 teams will need to go through the play-offs in order to reach the next round of the competition. The new Champions League format, used for the first time this season,

THE expanded Champions League has delighted and confused fans in equal abundance this season. More teams and more matches – plus a league table to contend with – have left many fans

The result confirms Liverpool as one of the top two teams in this year’s league phase and if the six-time champions avoid defeat in their final match against PSV Eindhoven next week, they’ll progress into the knockouts as the No.1 seeded team.

It's been a journey into the unknown, but the new-look Champions League is finally reaching the climax of the league phase. Here's what's needed to go through.

Arsenal sit fifth in the Champions League table heading into tonight’s action, having won four of their opening six games. They drew with Europa League holders Atalanta and lost to Inter Milan but have otherwise impressed, with the 5-1 win away at Sporting CP surely their standout performance.

The easiest thing to learn, then, is that the bottom 12 teams in the table will be knocked out of the Champions League. One of the changes that may have gone under the radar with

Much has changed in this season's Champions League, the knockout play-off phase being one major new introduction