Premier League clubs discover potential last-16 opponents as Newcastle forced into Champions League play-off alongside PSG & Real Madrid

The Premier League asserted its dominance on the European stage as the league phase of the Champions League concluded in dramatic fashion. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal led the charge, etching their names into the record books by becoming the first club to win all eight league phase matches since the competition's format overhaul. The Gunners edged out Kazakh outfit Kairat in a 3-2 thriller at the Emirates to secure top spot, ensuring a favourable seeding for the knockout stages.

As a result of finishing first, Arsenal’s potential opponents in the last 16 are locked in. They will face one of Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund or Olympiacos.

Manchester City also squeezed into the automatic qualification spots by the skin of their teeth. Pep Guardiola’s side secured the vital eighth position with a professional 2-0 victory over Galatasaray. However, their reward is a potentially daunting tie. City will be drawn against one of Real Madrid, Inter, Bodo/Glimt or Benfica. Furthermore, the draw bracket suggests a potential all-English quarter-final collision course between City and Arsenal should both sides progress.

Arne Slot’s Liverpool and Thomas Frank’s Tottenham comfortably secured their passage to the last 16, finishing third and fourth respectively. The Reds continued their imperious European form with a 6-0 demolition of Qarabag at Anfield, while Spurs produced a mature performance to win 2-0 away at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Both clubs now face the same pool of potential opponents for the next round. They will be drawn against Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge or Galatasaray. Crucially, by finishing in the top four, both Liverpool and Spurs have earned the advantage of playing the second leg of their last-16 ties - and potentially the quarter-finals - at home.

Chelsea completed the quintet of automatic English qualifiers following a spirited comeback at St James' Park. Liam Rosenior’s side beat Napoli 3-2, courtesy of a second-half brace from Joao Pedro. The Blues, who finished sixth, will now face Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco, Qarabag or Newcastle in the round of 16.

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While five English clubs celebrated, Newcastle were left to rue a missed opportunity. Their 1-1 draw away at PSG, combined with Chelsea's victory, means Eddie Howe’s men must negotiate the play-offs in February. They will face either Monaco or Qarabag in a two-legged tie to determine if they can join their Premier League rivals in the last 16. If successful, a daunting clash against Barcelona or Chelsea awaits.

The failure to qualify automatically has severe scheduling consequences. Newcastle now face a brutal February consisting of eight matches, including the two European ties, four Premier League games, a Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester City, and an FA Cup fourth-round trip to Aston Villa.

"Of course we wanted to go through automatically, but we won't look at those games as a negative," Howe insisted. "We're in a busy schedule... but we have a conscientious group of players and this is just another challenge they've got to rise to."

The play-off round features some shock inclusions. Real Madrid were dumped out of the top eight after Sporting CP scored a 94th-minute winner against Athletic Bilbao, ensuring the Portuguese side finished seventh. Jose Mourinho came back to haunt his old club as goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored a last-minute goal to seal a 4-3 win and seal the last play-off place for Benfica.

The new format has placed a premium on finishing in the top eight, primarily due to the rest period it affords. While Newcastle, PSG and Real Madrid battle for survival in February, Arsenal, City, Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea will enjoy a month free of European football, allowing for recovery and tactical preparation.

Looking further ahead, the tournament tree indicates that Liverpool and Tottenham cannot meet in the quarter-finals, though either could be drawn against Chelsea or Newcastle. Arsenal and City, however, are in the same segment of the draw, raising the spectre of a high-stakes domestic dust-up on the continent.

The draw for the play-offs takes place on Friday, where the full ramifications of this chaotic league phase finale will become clear. For the majority of England’s elite, however, the hard work is done until March.