Supercomputer Predicts Final League Phase Table

A supercomputer has predicted what the Champions League table will look like at the conclusion of the competition’s current phase.

The 2025/26 edition of Europe’s most-prestigious competition is now well underway, with this season’s Champions League representing the second-ever league stage, which replaced the more traditional group stage formatting in 2024.

As is always the case with the Champions League, a number of elite European sides will be vying for the glory of winning what many regard to be the greatest club achievement that is available. Paris Saint-Germain, under Luis Enrique’s management, will no doubt seek to retain their title.

Now past the halfway point, the current Champions League could – and no doubt will – throw up some surprising results as it continues. Opta Analyst have asked their supercomputer how it thinks the Champions League table will look at the league stage’s conclusion.

Eliminated Teams – 36th to 25th

Based on Opta’s Expected Points and Position data, a number of gigantic clubs have been predicted to crash out of the Champions League after the group stage, including Ajax, a team that have continental pedigree courtesy of four European Cup/Champions League victories. After six league games, only Kairat, in their maiden Champions League season, Spanish outfit Villarreal, and Bodo/Glimt are predicted to finish below the Amsterdam side.

Moving up the table, Opta have positioned Slavia Prague, Eintracht Frankfurt and Athletic Club as teams that will miss out on progressing. It’s been a hugely disappointing league phase campaign for the Spanish side and time is running out for them to turn their fortunes around after doing so well in Europe in recent campaigns prior to this one, as they made it to the Europa League semi-final last term.

Olympiacos and Union Saint-Gilloise are also both expected to crash out, while Pafos are nearing an early exit. The latter are enjoying a fine campaign, with David Luiz starring. The Brazilian became the second-oldest goalscorer in Champions League history when he netted against Monaco in November. They are expected to narrowly miss out on a playoff spot, though, alongside Copenhagen.

Play-Off Teams – 24th to 9th

Moving into teams that will qualify for the play-off games that follow the league, the next stage of the table, Opta have predicted that Jose Mourinho-led Benfica will be the team scraping the barrel in 24th place, narrowly edging out Copenhagen.

Antonio Conte’s title-winning Napoli are expected to qualify, as are PSV after the Dutch side beat Liverpool at Anfield. Underdogs Qarabag are also set to make the playoffs. The Azerbaijani side became the first club from their country to advance beyond the Champions League qualifiers and have been the surprise package this season, winning each of their opening two matches and then earning a draw with Chelsea.

Turin juggernauts Juventus are expected to qualify despite their fall off in recent years, while Galatasaray and Marseille should also reach the next stage.

Any side that finish between 16th and ninth in the table qualifies for the play-offs as a seeded team, which ensures that they will play the second leg at home. English duo Chelsea and Newcastle United are, according to Opta, projected to finish 13th and 14th respectively, with Tottenham ahead of them in 11th.

Bayer Leverkusen, who recorded a brilliant 2-0 victory over Manchester City in November, are also predicted to do enough to reach at least the play-off stage, as are Sporting CP and last season’s runners-up Inter, who have only dropped points in four of their last 18 fixtures across all competitions.

Spanish champions Barcelona are struggling in the league phase and still need to pick up some points if they are to make the playoffs. Opta think they will manage to qualify with ease, but they are set to miss out on the top eight by merely a point.

Automatic Qualifiers – 8th to 1st

In eighth place on Opta’s predicted table, a position that would ensure an automatic pass to the round of 16, is Real Madrid, who find themselves just clinging on to that position after a loss at home to Manchester City saw them fail to win for the sixth time in their last eight matches under Xabi Alonso.

Ahead of Los Blancos, in seventh, are Atletico Madrid, who have recorded big wins against the likes of Inter Milan and Eintracht Frankfurt. Next up are Liverpool who, despite their dismal domestic form, have beaten Galatasary, Inter Milan, Atletico, and Real Madrid to prove they can still do it in Europe.

Manchester City’s winning run in the Champions League came to an end in November. They had won all four of their matches to start the campaign but fell to a surprise 2-0 defeat to Leverkusen in November after Guardiola made mass changes to his starting XI. Still, their impressive 2-1 win at the Bernabeu sees them climb into third by the supercomputer’s projections, placing them narrowly ahead of in-form Atalanta and last season’s winners.

Defending champions Paris-Saint Germain smashed six past Tottenham in week five, and they are now predicted to finish in fourth place, which leaves the top two places to a side that hasn’t won in it in five years and another that has never stood at the summit of Europe.

Bayern Munich are projected to place second in the table. The German giants’ unbeaten streak in the competition came to an end in week five as they were beaten by Arsenal. Despite the defeat, Vincent Kompany’s side are expected to qualify with ease.

The only unbeaten side left in the competition are the Gunners, who have won all six of their league phase matches. The north London side, bidding to become champions of Europe for the first time in their history, are expected to top the league phase by a distance, and they have been given nearly a 40 per cent chance of reaching the final.

Related

‘My Dad Starred in Liverpool’s 2005 UCL Win – I Could Make My Reds Debut Soon’

The son of one of Liverpool’s 2005 Istanbul heroes has been turning heads and could follow in the footsteps of his father.