Champions League permutations for Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Aston Villa explained
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Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa all have just one Champions League game remaining in the 2024-25 league phase. The Gunners, who defeated Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 in their penultimate league phase match on Wednesday night, are third in the table after seven games.
![[Arsenal FC v GNK Dinamo - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD7]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-2195343315.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
City, who lost 4-2 at Paris Saint-Germain, are 25th while Liverpool and Aston Villa are first and ninth respectively after they played on Tuesday. Ahead of the final round of league phase fixtures, here is the state of play and permutations for the four English clubs, with three of them still fighting to advance to the next stage of the new-look, revamped competition….
![[Arsenal FC v GNK Dinamo - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD7]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-2194720029.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
This season, the traditional 32-team group stage of the Champions League was replaced by a league phase featuring 36 clubs, which has been commonly referred to as a ‘Swiss model’. Rather than playing three teams twice, each side was drawn against eight different opponents – two from each of the four seeding pots. Every team will play four games at home and four away.
![[FBL-EUR-C1-PSG-MAN CITY]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-2194721580.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The results will determine where all 36 teams finish in one large league table. Those that finish in positions one to eight secure direct qualification to the last 16. Clubs ranked nine to 24 enter into a knockout play-off contest, where victory will secure a spot in the round of 16. Teams in positions 25 to 36 are eliminated from the competition.
![[Liverpool FC v LOSC Lille - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD7]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-2195156443.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
