Champions League teams chase 10-points tally in poignant week for coaches Amorim, Alonso, Ancelotti

The first Champions League squad will scope 10 points this week and apt guarantee advancing to nan knockout shape arsenic nan untested 36-team standings format reaches nan midway point.

Either Liverpool aliases Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen will person 10 points aft they meet astatine Anfield connected Tuesday, erstwhile Manchester City besides tin do it by winning astatine Sporting Lisbon that is still being coached by Rúben Amorim until he joins Manchester United 1 week later.

English teams clasp nan top 3 places successful nan table, pinch caller European champions Man City and Liverpool looking up astatine surprise leader Aston Villa.

Villa, nan 1982 European Cup winner, goes for a 4th consecutive triumph Wednesday astatine Club Brugge.

Much further down nan standings, nan 2 teams pinch nan astir titles successful nan competition’s 70-season history — some erstwhile coached by Carlo Ancelotti — meet successful Spain.

Record 15-time champion Real Madrid hosting AC Milan, pinch 7 titles, is simply a conflict connected Tuesday of nan 12th and 25th-placed teams aft 3 of nan 8 rounds.

The caller format sends only nan apical 8 teams straight to nan information of 16 successful January. Teams that decorativeness Nos. 9-16 are seeded successful nan knockout playoffs information successful February against teams classed 17th to 24th. Winners of those two-leg encounters beforehand to nan information of 16 successful March.

UEFA’s pre-season simulations suggested arsenic fewer arsenic 8 points from 8 games would beryllium capable to participate nan knockout phase.

Still, upset losses truthful acold for Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern showed really predictions tin beryllium upended.

All 36 teams sewage a balanced slate of opponents by drafting 2 teams from each of 4 seeding pots based connected UEFA title results complete nan past 5 years.

The bid of fixtures, however, tin beryllium lopsided and Leipzig languishes pinch zero points aft losses against 3 high-ranked opponents. Leipzig now plays astatine Celtic, from nan lower-ranked No. 3 seeds.

Sporting besides is simply a cookware 3 team, giving Man City a 3rd lower-ranked force successful nan first half of its program.

Liverpool has excelled contempt a front-loaded fixture list. Leverkusen is its 3rd high-ranked force and adjacent comes Real Madrid astatine Anfield connected Nov. 27.

Atletico Madrid has underachieved successful 27th place, and goes to Paris Saint-Germain connected Wednesday, but nan three-time beaten finalist has 1 of nan softest schedules to come.

Xabi Alonso could person been successful nan location squad dugout Tuesday. Liverpool offered its erstwhile prima midfielder, a Champions League victor successful nan epic 2005 final, nan chance to win Jürgen Klopp this season.

Alonso opted to enactment astatine Leverkusen and return nan unbeaten Bundesliga champion into nan Champions League. Liverpool turned to Feyenoord’s Arne Slot who is having a historically bully commencement pinch nan Premier League leader.

Rúben Amorim is moving against Manchester City connected Tuesday conscionable weeks aft he was linked pinch being nan club’s adjacent coach.

Pep Guardiola’s early plans are unclear pinch his statement expiring adjacent year, and Man City already announced its head of shot adjacent play will beryllium Amorim’s existent beforehand agency leader astatine Sporting, Hugo Viana.

Played 12, won 10, drawn two, mislaid none.

The 4 English teams person not moreover conceded a extremity since nan 3rd infinitesimal of nan opening round, erstwhile AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic scored successful Liverpool’s 3-1 triumph astatine San Siro.

The English Premier League is turning financial powerfulness to its advantage and this complaint of results will gain a bonus 5th entry successful adjacent year’s competition.

Man City and Arsenal return to Europe aft play losses. Guardiola’s squad intends to debar a uncommon 3rd consecutive conclusion facing Sporting's in-form Viktor Gyökeres. The Sweden guardant played 5 seasons connected indebtedness pinch lower-tier teams successful Germany and England earlier joining Sporting past year.

Arsenal returns to Italy to look Inter Milan aft starting pinch a 0-0 tie against Atalanta successful adjacent Bergamo.

Few saw this coming from nan four-team French challenge. Monaco and Brest unbeaten successful 4th and 5th place, respectively, Lille successful nan apical half of nan standings and PSG trailing.

Brest again faces 1 of its lowest-ranked opponents erstwhile it plays astatine Sparta Prague connected Wednesday, pinch games against Real Madrid and Barcelona to travel successful nan 2nd half.

Monaco already hit Barcelona and now goes to Bologna, which is among 4 teams that person grounded to people truthful far.

Lille hosts Juventus connected Tuesday astatine Stade Pierre-Mauroy, wherever Real Madrid was stunned 1-0 a period ago.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer