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Champions League

Crunch time for Real Madrid: the must-win scenarios to secure a spot in the Champions League top 8

Real Madrid have endured a less than convincing UCL league phase, but Carlo Ancelotti’s men can still clinch automatic qualification for the round of 16.

Real Madrid have endured a less than convincing UCL league phase, but Carlo Ancelotti’s men can still clinch automatic qualification for the round of 16.
Stephane MaheREUTERS

The UEFA Champions League’s first ever league phase reaches its climax on Wednesday, January 29, with 18 games played around Europe. The expanded format sees all Matchday 8 clashes held at the same kick-off time, with plenty still to play for in the vast 36-team table.

The likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City are still battling to finish in the top 24 and claim a place in the playoff round next month. However the real prize is a spot in the top eight, which guaranteed qualification to the round-of-16.

Liverpool and Barcelona have already booked their places, and it would take a miracle for Arsenal and Inter Milan to drop out at this stage. One team that still has work to do is Real Madrid, who need a very specific set of results to unfold if they are to sneak into the top eight.

What do Real Madrid need to get a top eight spot?

First of all, Madrid must win their final league phase game to have any chance of making the top eight. Los Blancos go to France to take on Brest and know that anything other than a victory will leave them adrift of the automatic qualification places.

If Madrid do win, then they need to hope that the other seven teams above them all fail to win. That means that they will be hoping that none of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, LOSC Lille, Feyenoord, Monaco, Aston Villa and Bayer Leverkusen manage to take three points in their final games. Lille and Feyenoord play against each other, so Madrid fans will be hoping for a draw there.

It’s a very unlikely set of circumstances but Carlo Ancelotti’s team will not be ruling out the possibility. If they fail to make the top eight they will have to play the newly-introduced playoff round, pitting them against another team placed 9th-24th in a two-legged elimination tie.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s game, Ancelotti paid tribute to Brest’s performances in this year’s competition: “It’s a tough game because Brest are doing a fantastic job in the Champions League, they have a point more than we do and they’re in with a chance of qualifying among the top eight.”

There’s a lot to play for in this one. We want to close out what has been a complicated group stage and finish as high as we can in the table.”

Brest vs Real Madrid: when, where, how to watch?

Brest host Real Madrid at the Stade du Rourourou, with kick-off at the Guingamp arena scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET/12 noon PT. Viewers in the United States will be able to watch the Champions League clash on TUDN USA, UniMás, Paramount+ and ViX. Your can also stream the action on fubo, which offers a free trial.

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