Without further ado, below are the six teams that could drop to the Europa League as the UEFA Champions League group stage nears completion and the round of 16 begins to take shape. Some clubs have already qualified, while others still have two games to play.
1. Barcelona
The Blaugrana only need to win their final two games and hope second-placed Inter Milan drops points in their games to avoid falling to Europe’s second-tier tournament (Europa League) if outcomes in the final two group games don’t go their way.
Barcelona hasn’t performed well enough this season on the European level; they presently rank third in their group with 4 points from 4 games.
2. Ajax
Get Instantly Update By: Joining Our Whatapps and Telegram Channel
After suffering their second consecutive loss against Luciano Spalleti’s Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, Ajax’s chances of moving on to the next round have been damaged.
The Eredivisie Champions’ best result from their most recent two games is 9 points, but Liverpool has the same number of points and is in a strong position to advance owing to their goal differential.
The Netherlands’ team can only advance if they score more goals to increase their goal differential and hope Liverpool loses badly in the two remaining games, which is highly unlikely.
3. AC Milan
With two games left, AC Milan, the defending Italian Champions, is also a team that is in danger of finishing third and being relegated to the UEFA Europa League. To ensure qualification, they must defeat Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb.
4. Juventus
The Old Lady’s poor performance in Europe could see them descend to the Europa League, but if they win their final two games against Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain, both of which have eight points, they will mathematically still advance.
The Italian heavyweights are unlikely to defeat the aforementioned teams given their current form.
5. Sevilla
The Spanish team seems set for the Europa League and will need a miracle to advance; they have difficult games against FC Copenhagen and Manchester City.
6. Atletico Madrid
In Group B, FC Porto seems to be the team that will place second and advance alongside Club Brugge; Diego Simeone’s team must defeat FC Porto & Bayern Leverkusen or risk being relegated to the Europa League.