PSG are well placed in the standings ahead of the final Champions League matchday. But nothing is settled yet. Here is how Paris can secure a spot in the Top 8 tonight… or end up going through the playoffs.
Paris are still sitting in the top eight, which means direct qualification for the round of 16, notably thanks to an excellent goal difference. However, nothing is guaranteed: the table is extremely tight and everything will be decided in the final match against Newcastle, with several possible scenarios.
Several possible scenarios for Paris
In concrete terms, PSG will qualify directly for the round of 16 in the following cases: if they beat Newcastle and at least four of these nine teams fail to win: Real Madrid, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Barcelona, Sporting CP, Manchester City, Atlético Madrid and Atalanta Bergamo. If they draw against Newcastle, they will still qualify provided Dortmund and Inter draw or Dortmund beat Inter by fewer than six goals, and at least five of these teams fail to win: Tottenham, Chelsea, Barcelona, Sporting CP, Manchester City, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta Bergamo and Juventus.
Still in the event of a draw against Newcastle, if Inter beat Dortmund or if Dortmund beat Inter by more than six goals, Paris would then need at least six of the teams mentioned above not to win. Finally, in case of a defeat against Newcastle, PSG would have to rely on other results and hope not to be overtaken by more than two teams behind them in the standings, with Newcastle moving ahead in any case.
In short, PSG still have their destiny in their own hands, but the slightest setback could make everything far more complicated. For their part, Monaco and Marseille have almost no room for error and are clearly playing for their European survival on the final matchday.
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