Which teams qualified for the 2023-24 Champions League round of 16 this week?

The 2023-24 UEFA Champions League group stage passed its halfway point on Tuesday and Wednesday, where we got the first glimpses of how the round of 16 will shape up. Even though there are still two match days left to play after this week, two teams booked their place in the knockout rounds on Tuesday, while no fewer than five had the opportunity to do so on Wednesday.

Manchester City and RB Leipzig through to the last 16

Group G is already done and dusted, with defending champions Manchester City and RB Leipzig both through after their victories over Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade respectively. All that’s left to decide is who finishes top, with Pep Guardiola’s side in the driving seat after a 3-1 win in Germany at the start of October.

Barcelona blow it against Shakhtar

Like City, Barcelona had a 100% record after three matches and would have ensured a top-two finish with a victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in Hamburg. Instead, they lost and Porto’s win over Antwerp means they are level on points with the Portuguese at the top of the group, with the Ukrainians only three points behind. A third successive group stage failure could yet be on the cards...

Real Madrid and Bayern qualified with ease on Wednesday

On Wednesday, five teams had the chance to make it through to the last 16, including two in Group D.

Group A: Bayern Munich beat Galatasaray to qualify

Harry Kane was the main man as Bayern Munich beat Galatasaray at home on Wednesday to ensure qualification to the round of 16. A draw would not technically have bee enough as three teams could have ended up on 10 points, but in the end the German side were too much to handle and a late double from the English forward sealed the deal.

Group B: what do Arsenal need to qualify for the round of 16

Arsenal completed their part of the bargain by beating Sevilla at the Emirates, but it was not enough as PSV got a win against Lens who went down to ten men to keep Group B wide open. PSV and Lens are both on 5 points each which means that Arsenal, who come up against Lens at home in the next game, will be able to secure top spot with a win.

Group C: Real Madrid sweep aside Braga to get to the knockout rounds

Real Madrid have remarkably never failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League. And they kept their 100% record up with a fiesta at the Bernabéu, scoring three goals in a Bellingham-less side that sure showed it could party without their English talisman. Brahim, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr all shone as they battered a brave but ultimately insufficient Braga team, a result which leaves Napoli, who drew against Union Berlin, a point away from making the round of 16 as well.

Group D: Real Sociedad stun Benfica in first half masterclass

Incredibly enough, Group D has already been done and dusted. Real Sociedad and Inter both have 10 points from their 4 games played, with RB Salzburg next on three and poor Benfica on zero. Real Sociedad slotted home three early goals to put them through after 45 minutes while Inter Milan beat Salzburg 0-1 with a late Lautaro penalty to seal the three points and put them into the next round of the competition.