On Wednesday, January 29, the final game of the new format of the UEFA Champions League is set to be played.
As is the case with everything surrounding this new way of the most elite competition in club football, all games are going to be played on the same day, at the same time.
This is unprecedented since games are usually played on both Tuesdays and Thursdays and not at the same time.
For Matchday 8, though, it makes sense for the games to start at the same minute due to potential calculations and fair play.
As a result, there will be a stunning amount of football being played simultaneously, something that fans cannot help but be excited about.
On top of it all, this final day of the new first phase of the competition will decide who the first 8 teams to go straight to the last 16 are going to be.
So far, only Liverpool and Barcelona are through, with the final 6 spots yet to be decided.
What is more, the other 16 spots, from 9 to 24, are also going to be known, which is crucial because the winners of those two-leg matchups decide the remaining 8 teams in the next phase.
With so much to play for, it is time we examine who has the best chances and make some old-fashioned predictions, complete with the latest odds for all of your crypto sports betting needs.
There will not be a better day for the fans of online sports betting than this upcoming Wednesday, so strap on!
Current Standings and Stats
Two days before the final matchday begins, a look at the table is enough to realize how much things can change.
With only the top two teams being safe, there is surely going to be a lot of drama on January 29.
Liverpool and Barcelona can breathe easy, but they will surely want to finish their group stage with another strong performance.
Then there are Arsenal and Inter with the same number of points (16) in 3rd and 4th.
Atletico Madrid and Milan have 15 points each in the 5th and 6th, and the final two spots that lead directly to the next stage belong to Atalanta with 14 points and Bayer Leverkusen with 13.
However, a staggering five more teams also have 13 points.
From 9t to 13th, it is Aston Villa, Monaco, Feyenoord, LOSC, and Brest, all with an amazing chance to grab a direct ticket to the last 16.
Do you want more drama? Well, there are also five teams with 12 points.
From the 14th to the 18th, we have Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Celtic.
Those are some strong players in the middle of the table, all vying for a better position moving forward.
It is then PSV and Club Brugge with 11 points in 19th and 20th, and finally, with 10 points each, from 21st to 24th, there are Benfica, PSG, Sporting, and Stuttgart.
When it comes to statistical leaders among individual players, FC Barcelona is leading the competition in goalscoring.
Robert Lewandowski is the top scorer right now with 9 goals, followed by his teammate and partner in crime Raphinha with 8 goals.
Jonathan David of LOSC, Serhou Guirassy, and Vinicius Junior all have 7 goals each and share the 3rd position.
Among the assists leaders, Charles De Ketelaere of Atalanta leads the league with 5, followed by Igor Paixao of Feyenoord, Marcos Llorente of Atletico Madrid, and Mohamed Salah with 4 each.
Previewing the Games and the Odds
Aston Villa (9) has much to play for when hosting Celtic Glasgow (18).
The London side needs to win if they mean to increase their chances of moving on directly.
They are practically safe for the knockouts, but a direct promotion would be huge for them.
If they turn in a strong performance, Celtic can do the same since the difference between these two, despite 10 places, is a single point! So the host team will give it their all for a chance at a top 8.
Aston Villa has a huge odds advantage, according to Bety, of 1.56 over 5.80 for Celtic.
A game with no competitive meaning will be played in Switzerland when the last-placed Young Boys (36) host Crvena Zvezda Belgrade (32).
Zvezda will play for their second win, while Young Boys will give it their all to get the first points on the board.
The home team has 2.60 odds, and the visitors have 2.55.
Bayer Leverkusen at 8th will give it their all to remain in that spot at home against Sparta Prague (29).
If they win, they should move on comfortably.
They are the absolute favorites with 1.15 odds over Sparta’s 18.00.
The game is a certain lock for the Germans.
PSV Eindhoven (19), at home, got excellent odds against Liverpool, 2.90 to 2.39, respectively, probably because the English side will bring out their second squad for this away game.
They are through, but that does not mean they will forfeit the game.
The Dutch team could benefit dearly with a win, and they could ruin Liverpool’s potentially perfect 8-0 score.
Borussia Dortmund is a clear favourite at home with 1.39 odds against the visiting Shakhtar Donetsk with 7.40.
The German team is 14th and could improve all the way to the top 8 if they win by a nice goal difference.
The Ukrainian side is in a tough spot and will probably fail to qualify for one of the first 24 places and the knockout stage.
An even worse story will be told when Girona FC 5.00 welcomes Arsenal with 1.67.
Arsenal needs a win to confirm their passage to the top 8 as the 3rd best team.
Despite playing at home, the Catalan team is 31st and does not have a lot to hope for in their final game.
Lille OSC is 12th and is hosting Feyenoord, who is 11th in what could be one of the most competitive games on Wednesday.
The French side is favourite with 1.99 odds over the visiting Dutch with 3.70, but they have the same number of points at 13 and will decide each other’s fate.
Juventus has been on and off this season,n and they will have their hands full when Benfica comes to town.
At 2.41 versus 3.10 in odds, they are the favourites.
The Italian giant is at 12 points while the Portuguese are at 10.
Both could improve their standings with a win but could also end up outside of the knockouts with a poor performance.
It will be a fierce game, for sure.
Barcelona is finishing their group phase at home against Atalanta and is favourites with 1.81 odds to the Italians’ 4.10.
They are already through and could bring out players who have not played a lot, while Atalanta needs a good performance to remain in the top 8.
This will be another good game to both bet on and watch.
Stade Brest 29 (7.20) is currently 13th, and they will be the underdog when hosting the defending UCL champions Real Madrid (1.44), who are 16th.
Despite dominating in La Liga, the Galacticos have struggled in Europe.
They will need a win if they want to secure their spot in the knockouts and are not without their chance for a top 8 finish.
Brest will hope to contain them as they have 1 more point over them and should be in the knockouts.
Bologna is the underdog in their visit to Lisbon to face Sporting.
The Portuguese are at 1.46 while the Italian team, currently 28th, is at 7.00, and they are without hope for the knockouts with only 5 points.
Sporting is 23rd, and they need a good performance and a strong win at home to confirm their ticket to the knockout stage.
Milan has been playing great in Europe this season and is currently in the 6th spot with 15 points and a strong wish to get straight into the top 8.
They are travelling to Zagreb, Croatia, to face Dinamo, who is in the 26th spot, with hopes of grabbing some points and squeezing into the knockouts.
Despite playing at home, it will be a near-impossible task as their odds are 5.60 to Milan’s 1.56.
SK Strum Graz is hosting RB Leipzig in a game that has no competitive meaning, as they are both already out.
The Austrians are 33rd, and the Germans are 30th, both with a single win to their name.
They will play for honour and bragging rights, as Graz is at 3.50 odds while Leipzig is at 2.06.
A game that carries a lot of meaning will take place in Stuttgart when VfB hosts Paris Saint-Germain.
The German side is currently 24th with 3.45 odds, and the Parisians are 20th with favourable 2.80 odds.
Both teams are at 10 point,s and the best they can do is win and increase their standings for the knockouts.
If they lose, it is probably the end of the road.
Inter, the 4th team in the league, is the favourite when they host AS Monaco, who are 10th with high hopes of moving on.
With 13 points to Inter’s 16 and a surprise away win, they could enter the top 8, but it would be very hard.
The odds confirm that Inter got 1.66 while the Principality side only has 5.20.
RB Salzburg has 3 points only in the competition and will probably remain at that tally when Atletico Madrid comes to town.
The Austrians are heavily underfavored with 8.40 while the Spaniards, currently 5th, get 1.39 and will surely win away for an additional 3 points that will keep them in the top 8.
At 1.20 odds and playing at home, the struggling Manchester City simply has to beat Club Brugge with 14.00 odds if they want even a slither of a chance to get into the knockouts.
They are currently in a disappointing 25th spot, while Brugge is 20th.
City only has 8 points; with 11, it will still be difficult to get in.
Brugge is at 11 as it is, and they will hope for the best in this difficult away game.
Finally, the most lopsided affair of Matchday 8 will take place in Bavaria when Bayern Munich welcomes SK Slovan Bratislava, the second-to-last team with 0 points and 7 losses so far.
The Germans get the odds of 1.02, which is the lowest you can get in football, while the Slovak side is at 50.00!
Bayern is 15th with 12 points, and they need a very convincing win with plenty of goals to move up in the rankings, possibly even jumping to the top 8.
