Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea make Champions League charge, Bayern advances and Barcelona wins
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Premier League teams are powering ahead in the Champions League with five of England’s top flight clubs in position to advance to the round of 16.
Arsenal tops the standings and has already secured its place in the next round, while wins for Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea on Wednesday saw them move into the top eight automatic qualifying positions with one game of the league phase to go. Tottenham is fifth, with Manchester City the only English team in the playoff positions going into next week’s matches.
“Let’s make sure we’re in the top eight. We’ve put ourselves in a good position, but that’s for next week,” Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said.
Liverpool is fourth after a 3-0 win at Marseille. Newcastle beat PSV Eindhoven by the same score and Chelsea won 1-0 against Pafos.
Bayern Munich is second and joined Arsenal in advancing to the round of 16 with Harry Kane scoring twice in a 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise.
Barcelona is in ninth place after a 4-2 win at Slavia Prague and risks having to to go through the playoffs to advance.
But there is much to play for in the final round of league phase games with just three points separating third place Real Madrid and Juventus in 15th.
The top eight qualify directly to the round of 16. Teams placed from nine to 24 enter a two-legged playoff to advance.
Final day drama
Prepare for a dramatic final round of games before the knockouts.
While the remaining six automatic qualification spots are still up for grabs, just two points separate the last of the playoff places and Ajax, which is 32nd in the standings.
One standout game sees Italian champion Napoli host Chelsea. Napoli is 25th — one place below the playoffs. It also means a reunion for Napoli coach Antonio Conte and his former club Chelsea.
“It’s a massive game. For Napoli as well. They need to win to stay in the competition; we need to win to be in the top eight,” Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior said. “It’s going to be a great game against a massive club, with a great manager.”
Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain hosts Newcastle and dropped points for either team could see them fall into the playoffs.
Man City’s home game against Galatasaray also has much riding on it if the 2023 European champion is to avoid the danger of the playoffs.
Jose Mourinho needs a win at his former club Madrid to give Benfica any chance of making the playoffs.
Premier League power
Liverpool topped the league phase last year — only to be eliminated by PSG in the round of 16. Arne Slot’s team has made harder work of it this time around, but victory in Marseille leaves the Premier League champion in a strong position going into its final game at home to Qarabag.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s free kick put Liverpool ahead in the first half. A Geronimo Rulli own goal doubled the advantage and Cody Gakpo sealed the win that also saw Hugo Ekitike hit the bar and Mohamed Salah miss a golden chance.
Newcastle cruised past PSV at St James’ Park, with Yoane Wissa, Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes on the score sheet, while it took a Moises Caicedo header to see Chelsea break down a stubborn Pafos.
Kane again
Kane scored goals number 35 and 36 in a remarkable season for the Bayern striker — but he was left to rue missing out on a fourth hat trick of the season when his second-half penalty struck the crossbar.
The England captain scored twice in the space of three minutes in the second half against Union Saint-Gilloise — first with a near-post header and then winning and converting from the penalty spot.
Fantastic Fermin
Fermin Lopez also scored twice as Barcelona fought back to beat Slavia Prague, with a stunning long-range effort the pick of his goals.
Prague led after 10 minutes through Vasil Kusej, but Lopez struck twice to give Barcelona the lead. A Robert Lewandowski own goal leveled the game before halftime.
Substitute Dan Olmo curled into the top corner to put Barcelona in front again and Lewandowski scored at the end to seal the 4-2 win.
McKennie on target
United States international Weston McKennnie scored for the third time in the Champions League this season as Juventus beat Benfica 2-0.
Juve is 15th and guaranteed to at least make the playoffs.
Atalanta is 13th after losing 3-2 at home to Athletic Bilbao, which is 23rd.
Qarabag wins again
Tiny Qarabag is making a big impression in the competition and picked up its third win in the league phase after Bahlul Mustafazade scored deep into stoppage time on to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2.
The Azerbaijani team edged closer to securing a place in the playoffs with just one game remaining thanks to its late comeback, which also confirmed Frankfurt’s elimination.
Camilo Duran had put the home team ahead in the fourth minute, but Frankfurt responded through Can Uzun and Fares Chaibi. Duran leveled the game in the 80th before Mustafazade’s winner in the 94th.
A Marcos Llorente own goal denied Atletico Madrid victory as the Spanish team drew 1-1 at Galatasaray. Giuliano Simeone scored early for Atletico before Llorente’s own goal in the 20th.
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer