It's been a journey into the unknown, but the new-look 36-team Champions League is finally reaching the climax of the league phase.  While we're starting to get some kind of idea of who's going to go through,

Much has changed in this season's Champions League, the knockout play-off phase being one major new introduction

While Liverpool narrowly missed clinching top spot with a game to spare in the Champions League despite a 2-1 defeat of French side Lille on Tuesday, manager Arne Slot said finishing in the top eight and avoiding two playoff games was the most important thing.

Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Celtic feature in new Champions League format; 36 teams form a single league, with each entrant playing eight different clubs, four at home and four away;

Top eight advance directly to Round of 16. Teams ranked 9-24 will compete in knockout round play-offs to determine the remaining spots in the last 16.