Matchday four in this season's UEFA Champions League group phase has come and gone with several teams confirming their place in the last-16.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the qualified teams is Belgian outfit Club Brugge as they secured the draw they needed away at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday evening to seal their passage alongside Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Napoli and reigning champions Real Madrid.
The quintet could soon be joined by Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica as the pair require a point apiece on matchday five to progress from Group H, whilst the remaining Premier League representatives - Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur - are well placed to qualify for the Champions League round of 16.
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Now, as is the case in the Champions League, the eight teams who finish third in their respective groups will drop down into the Europa League and face the eight group runners-up of that competition in a knockout round play-off tie, with the winners progressing to the round of 16.
One look at the teams who currently sit third and there's the potential for some huge ties in the new year with Barcelona, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla - serial winners of the Europa League - and Ajax all at risk of dropping out of the Champions League after disappointing results on matchday four.
The Catalan giants must win their final two games and hope Inter Milan slip-up; Juventus need to beat PSG and Benfica to have any hope of reaching the last-16; Ajax are on the brink of elimination after Liverpool thrashed Rangers 7-1; and Borussia Dortmund just need to match Sevilla's result on matchday five to confirm the La Liga side's exit.
In Barcelona's case, it has been explained by The Athletic that their likely Champions League elimination will plunge the club into deeper financial trouble, but with a squad that contains the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele, Pedri, Gavi and Raphinha, they'll be expected to go far if the drop into the Europa League.
As a result, both Arsenal and Manchester United are facing a dreaded scenario as they were two of the favourites to win the Europa League when the group stage draw was made and the Gunners know all too well of this pain, with Atletico having knocked them out at the semi-final stage in the 2017/18 season after dropping down from the Champions League.
Of course, there's still work for Arsenal to do in their own Europa League group to ensure they are still in the competition after Christmas. For this to happen, Mikel Arteta's side must, first, keep their 100 per cent winning record intact when they face FK Bodo/Glimt away from home tonight (Thursday) as they will set up a chance to clinch qualification against PSV Eindhoven next week.
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