The 2017/18 Champions League group stage as it stands
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
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With most of Europe's major leagues around the halfway point, UEFA.com asks who would be in next season's group stage if the season ended now? Two debutants, for a start.
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What would the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League group stage look like if Europe's major domestic leagues ended now? This is how things are shaping up.*
While ten group stage berths will be decided via qualifying in the summer – and the winners of this season's competition and the UEFA Europa League will also have an impact – there are 21 teams, as it stands, who would be assured of a UEFA Champions League place next term.
ESP: Real Madrid, Sevilla, Barcelona
GER: Bayern München, RB Leipzig, Hertha Berlin
ENG: Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur
ITA: Juventus, Roma
POR: Benfica, Porto
FRA: Nice, Monaco
RUS: Spartak Moskva
UKR: Shakhtar Donetsk
BEL: Club Brugge
NED: Feyenoord
TUR: İstanbul Başakşehir
SUI: Basel
There are plenty of usual suspects in that list, as well as what would be competition debutants in Leipzig and İstanbul Başakşehir. Nice, meanwhile, would be making a first European Champion Clubs' Cup appearance since reaching the 1959/60 quarter-finals. For Hertha Berlin, it would be a second UEFA Champions League campaign some 18 years after the first.
As it stands, there would be ten teams who were not involved in this season's group stage: Chelsea, Feyenoord, Hertha, İstanbul Başakşehir, Leipzig, Liverpool, Nice, Roma, Shakhtar and Spartak.
*All based on provisional standings. Line-up for next season's UEFA Champions League will be subject to final confirmation by UEFA in the summer.