A couple of weeks back we updated you on how the field is shaping up for next year’s UEFA Champions League, and while there has been little swapping of positions in the chart (below), a far more clubs have clinched spots in the 2012-13 competition’s group stage.
At last update, only Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Olympiacos had punched their tickets. They’ve since been joined by Germany’s top two (Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich) and Italy’s leaders (Juventus). Milan, Porto, and Zenit can all clinch on their next match days.
Brief reminder: 12 league qualify teams directly into group play, placing between one and three clubs in the competition proper. Every league in Europe has a chance to place a club in group stage, though most teams have to play their way in through late-summer qualifiers.
| England (3 group stage spots plus one play-in qualifier) | Spain (3 group stage spots plus one play-in qualifier) |
| 1. Manchester United: 83 points, 35 games 2. Manchester City: 80 pts, 35 gp 3. Arsenal: 65 pts, 35 gp 4. Newcastle: 62 pts, 34 gp | 1. Real Madrid: 88 points, 34 games 2. Barcelona: 81 pts, 34 gp 3. Valencia: 55 pts, 34 gp 4. Málaga: 51 pts, 33 gp |
| Germany (3 + 1) | Italy (2 + 1) |
| 1. Borussia Dortmund: 75 pts, 32 gp 2. Bayern Munich: 67 pts, 32 gp 3. Schalke: 58 pts, 32 gp 4. Borussia Moenchengladbach: 56 pts, 32 gp | 1. Juventus: 71 pts, 33 gp 2. Milan: 68 pts, 33 gp 3. Lazio: 55 pts, 33 gp |
| France (2 + 1) | Portugal (2 + 1) |
| 1. Montpellier: 69 pts, 33 gp 2. Paris Saint-Germain: 67 pts, 33 gp 3. Lille: 62 pts, 33 gp | 1. Porto: 66 pts, 27 gp 2. Benfica: 62 pts, 27 gp 3. Sporting Braga: 59 pts, 27 gp |
| Russia (1 + 1) | Ukraine (1 + 1) |
| 1. Zenit: 81 pts, 40 gp 2. Dinamo Moscow: 69 pts, 40 gp | 1. Shakhtar Donetsk: 73 pts, 28 gp 2. Dynamo Kyiv: 73 pts, 28 gp |
| Netherlands (1 + 1) | Turkey (1 + 1) |
| 1. Ajax: 67 pts, 31 gp 2. AZ Alkmaar: 61 pts, 31gp | 1. Galatasaray: 42 (adjusted) pts, 36 gp 2. Fenerbahce: 40 pts, 36 gp Turkey has entered its four-team playoff round, where qualifiers’ season point totals are halved ahead of the six-match, home-and-home round-robin. |
| Greece (1 + 1) | Denmark (1 + 1) |
| 1. Olympiacos - 67 points, 28 games 2-3. Panathinaikos, POAK, Atromitos, and AEK will enter a six-match playoff round after season | 1. Copenhagen: 58 points, 27 games 2. FC Nordsjaelland: 52 pts, 27 gp |
Bold - participants in 2011-12’s group stage.