Archive January 28, 2026

A blockbuster final day of games in the Champions League’s league phase in rich in dramatic potential, with 30 teams waiting for their fate to be decided.

Six English clubs are eyeing top-eight spots, while there are notable familiar faces looking to get the better of their former employers.

Arsenal are safely through to the last 16, where they will be joined by Bayern Munich, but just about everybody else still has work to do and major targets to aim for in a congested 36-team table.

The table-topping Gunners have been predicted as being best-placed to win the competition for the first time, with Opta ranking their chances at 31%, ahead of Bayern on 16.9%

Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle United and Chelsea are the other Premier League sides occupying a top-eight spot, and staying there would mean they avoid the play-offs and go straight into the last 16.

Manchester City – currently in a play-off spot – are behind seventh-placed Newcastle and eighth-placed Chelsea only on goal difference. The English trio feature among eight teams on 13 points heading into Wednesday’s final round of games, with all 18 matches kicking off at 20:00 GMT.

Leaders Arsenal have won all seven of their matches, so just a point at home against Kairat Almaty would be enough to make sure of top spot ahead of Bayern.

In terms of seedings for the last-16 stage, the top two will face the winners of play-offs involving teams who finish between 15th and 18th place in the league phase.

Bayern will be certain of a top-two finish if they avoid defeat at PSV Eindhoven.

The top two will also be guaranteed to play the second leg at home in every round until the final, which will be played in Budapest.

The battle to pin down places in the top eight could be enthralling, given how tightly packed the standings are.

Let’s start with the easy bit. For Real Madrid and Liverpool, both on 15 points, and Tottenham, on 14, a victory on matchday eight would secure direct entry into the last 16.

Spurs face eliminated Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, where the north London outfit won last year on the way to a Europa League triumph that secured them Champions League football this season.

Arne Slot’s Liverpool side are at home to Qarabag, who have a slim chance of still making the top eight.

“It’s all down to us again. Let’s make sure we’re in the top eight,” said Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk after last week’s win in Marseille.

“It’s very important as you miss the play-offs, and it helps with the intense programme that we’re having. We’ve put ourselves in a good position.”

Real Madrid are away to their former manager Jose Mourinho’s Benfica.

Mourinho reached three Champions League semi-finals in a row with Real before leaving in 2013, but Benfica – with only two wins in their first seven games – will need to beat Real to have a chance of sneaking into the play-offs.

Behind Spurs come the group of eight teams, starting with holders Paris St-Germain in sixth down to Atalanta in 13th, on 13 points.

Newcastle, Chelsea and Manchester City are all in that group and looking for a priceless win – and even then knowing their fate could come down to goal difference.

Chelsea are also up against a familiar face in their former head coach Antonio Conte, who won Serie A with Napoli last season.

Manchester City host Galatasaray, while Eddie Howe’s Newcastle face the daunting task of travelling to PSG.

Everyone down to Qarabag in 18th still has a mathematical chance of automatically advancing as a top-eight finisher.

That is in part because, remarkably, despite 16 teams still being in contention for the six remaining top-eight spots, only two of the 18 matches have those sides facing each other.

It is also incredibly tight in the fight for the play-offs, with everyone down to Ajax in 32nd still in the mix for a top-24 finish.

Only the bottom four of Frankfurt, Slavia Prague, Villarreal and Kairat have been eliminated.

Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 GMT on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

Chelsea have urged fans travelling to Naples for Wednesday’s Champions League game to “exercise extreme caution” after two supporters needed hospital treatment.

The city has a long history of cases of away supporters being targeted by Napoli ultras.

“The club is aware of an incident that took place in Naples,” a Chelsea statement said.

“Two fans are being treated in hospital, having sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The club would like to remind all supporters to exercise extreme caution whilst in the city and take note of the advice shared ahead of this fixture.”

Fans on social media claimed Chelsea supporters had been stabbed, but there has been no official confirmation of how the injuries were caused.

Around 2,500 Chelsea supporters have tickets for the game, with fans urged to meet at designated areas so they can travel to the ground by shuttle bus under police escort.

In travel advice that was issued to fans earlier this month, Chelsea said: “During Uefa competition matches, attacks on away fans have sometimes occurred in Naples.”

Supporters have been urged not to walk around the city and to avoid wearing club colours or emblems that identify them as Chelsea fans.

Liam Rosenior’s side need a win against Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to go directly into the last-16 stage of the Champions League.

On this week’s GAA Social podcast, Thomas and Oisin catch up with Danny Quinn, an All-Ireland winner with Derry in 1993, whose life was turned upside down in May 2011 when his wife Catherine passed away at the age of 42.

Danny married Catherine in between the Oak Leafers’ Ulster final victory over Donegal and All-Ireland semi-final win over Dublin and they went on to have three children: Amy, Conor and Dara.

However, just weeks after Dara’s birth, Catherine became unwell with Quinn accepting “life went down a different path” as it was discovered she had pulmonary hypertension – a terminal lung disorder only treatable by transplant.

Despite a donor being found, a double transplant at Royal Papworth Hospital in England was unsuccessful, leaving the husband and wife to return home on the eve of Christmas to break the news to their children.

“That was some kick in the teeth,” Quinn, Principal of Anahorish Primary School, told the podcast.

Following his wife’s passing, the Bellaghy native found comfort through his work, friends, family, GAA club and community.

There were challenges along the way as Quinn’s life, once dominated by Gaelic football, was now centred around raising his children and mastering the domestic tasks at home, but the can-do attitude Catherine lived by is carried on by Quinn, who says he was “very lucky to meet Catherine and I’m a better person to have met her”.

“This has not been easy. A mother going home to tell three children she is going to die is not easy. Sitting down to explain it hasn’t gone well is the worst experience of your life, but we came out the other side of it.

“It’s not a great experience and not one I want anyone to have to deal with, but it forms your character and makes you who you are. Life is to be enjoyed, so get out there and get on with it – that was Catherine’s attitude to it.

“Catherine never felt sorry for herself, just said it was one of the challenges you get and that’s how she was throughout the illness.

“What I’ve learned from this is the importance of life.”