With five games of the league phase played, it is all to play for in the Women’s Champions League.
One match remains, and as it stands, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United all sit in the top 12.
After Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City made it to last year's quarter-finals, will we see three English teams in the last eight again this year?
How does it work?
We previously saw 16 teams involved in the previous group stage format - four groups of four teams who played each other home and away.
The new format, introduced this season, incorporates a single league phase featuring 18 teams, with each team facing six different teams in the league phase - half of those matches played at home and half of them away.
Who progresses?
The 18 teams in the league phase are ranked, based on the points they win - with the traditional three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat.
After all six matches have been played, the top four sides will automatically qualify for the quarter-finals as the seeded teams, while teams ranked 13 to 18 will be eliminated. The teams finishing fifth to 12th will compete in a two-legged play-off to determine who will join the top four teams in the last eight. Note, the four seeded teams will play the second leg of their quarter-finals at home.
Position |
Team |
Points |
1 (QF) |
Barcelona (Spain) |
13 |
2 (QF) |
OL Lyonnes (France) |
13 |
3 (QF) |
Chelsea (England) |
11 |
4 (QF) |
Juventus (Italy) |
10 |
5 (Play-off) |
Real Madrid (Spain) |
10 |
6 (Play-off) |
Bayern Munich (German) |
10 |
7 (Play-off) |
Wolfsburg (Germany) |
9 |
8 (Play-off) |
Arsenal (England) |
9 |
9 (Play-off) |
Manchester United (England) |
9 |
10 (Play-off) |
Paris FC (France) |
8 |
11 (Play-off) |
Atletico Madrid (Spain) |
7 |
12 (Play-off) |
Leuven (Belgium) |
6 |
13 (Eliminated) |
Valerenga (Norway) |
4 |
14 (Eliminated) |
Twente (Netherlands) |
2 |
15 (Eliminated) |
Benfica (Portugal) |
1 |
16 (Eliminated) |
Paris Saint-Germain (France) |
1 |
17 (Eliminated) |
Roma (Italy) |
1 |
18 (Eliminated) |
St. Polten (Austria) |
1 |
Who needs what?
Arsenal
Last year's Champions League winners Arsenal sit eighth on nine points after wins against Benfica, Real Madrid and Twente from their first four games.
They opened their campaign with a loss to Lyon after two goals from Melchie Dumornay sunk the Gunners at home.
Their most disappointing loss, however, came in the 3-2 loss against Bayern Munich. Up two goals and cruising at half-time, they threw away their lead to lose in dramatic style in Germany.
They face OH Leuven in their final game of the league phase and will be hoping to reassert some dominance in this competition as the current holders.
Their place in the play-offs is confirmed, and stand just one point behind Juventus in fourth, but they will be relying on results elsewhere to clinch automatic passage to the quarter-final.
Chelsea
It is no secret that this is the trophy the Women's Super League champions are most desperate to win.
After falling short again last season, losing 8-2 on aggregate to Barcelona over two legs in the semi-final, Sonia Bompastor's side are hoping for a more fruitful campaign.
They look comfortable on 11 points - an opening draw away against Twente was backed up with convincing wins against Paris FC (4-0) and St Polten (6-0), while a 1-1 draw against Barcelona before the international break was a marked improvement from last season, bolstered by the following 6-0 win against Roma.
They head to Wolfsburg in a tough final-round fixture. Their acquired points guarantee them a spot in the play-offs, and they currently sit in the third automatic spot, but will need a win against the German side to ensure they stay there.
Manchester United
Finishing third in the WSL last season, Manchester United had to play two qualifying rounds to make it to this league phase, the first time they have ever seen this stage of the competition.
They have beaten Valerenga, Atletico Madrid and Mary Earps' PSG, but a hefty 5-2 defeat against Wolfsburg followed by a 3-0 reverse against OL Lyonnes most recently gave them a stark reminder of exactly what it takes to compete in this competition.
Their nine points put them ninth in the current standings with a play-off spot confirmed, but they face a tough last fixture against Juventus on the final matchday, hoping to eradicate the one-point gap their opponents currently hold, and give the Red Devils a chance of a last-minute surge back into the automatic spots.
Dates
Matchday |
Dates |
Fixtures |
Matchday 6 |
Wednesday 17th December |
OH Leuven v Arsenal Juventus v Man Utd Wolfsburg v Chelsea |
