Awaiting tomorrow's matchday, Real Madrid climbs six spots in the Champions League group stage standings. Such an improvement comes as a result of tonight's victory at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo against Atalanta.
Real Madrid has two matches left to play in the Champions League group stage.
To reach the first goal, the round of 16, they need to finish among the top eight. This would allow them to enter directly. The challenge is almost impossible.
Real Madrid Moves from 24th to 18th Place
The white team has earned 9 points out of a possible 18, moving from 24th to 18th place. This would give them a chance to sneak into the 1/16 final play-off that decides the eight teams to join those who qualify directly by positions. Finishing in positions 9 to 24 would be like resorting to a play-offs.
The 24th position is the last one that grants access to the 1/16 final play-off. After six matchdays, Real Madrid has achieved 3 wins and 3 losses.
How Many Points are Needed to Reach the Round of 16
Everything is at stake in the last two matchdays. UEFA set the minimum score at 7.8 points at the beginning of the season to surpass the first phase of the Champions League.
Common sense indicates that reaching 10 points is necessary, however. Real Madrid is now at 9 points. And the goal is to collect them all: 15.
Aside from more significant rewards, finishing among the top eight has a privilege. Those eight teams advance directly to the round of 16 and play the second leg at home, with six remaining to be played.
With the victory in Bergamo, Real Madrid is getting closer to the top 8, although right now they are outside. They have two matches left: away against Brest and at home against Salzburg. Both matchdays will be played in January.
The Current Champions League Standings
ACCESS TO ROUND OF 16
1. Liverpool 18 points
2. Leverkusen 13 points
3. Aston Villa 13 points
4. Inter 13 points
5. Brest 13 points
6. Barcelona 12 points
7. Dortmund 12 points
8. Bayern 12 points
ACCESS TO PLAY-OFFS
9. Atalanta 11 points
10. Arsenal 10 points
11. Monaco 10 points
12. Sporting 10 points
13. Lille 10 points
14. Bruges 10 points
15. Benfica 9 points
16. Atlético 9 points
17. Milan 9 points
18. Real Madrid 9 points
19. Celtic 9 points
20. Manchester City 8 points
21. PSV 8 points
22. Juventus 8 points
23. Dinamo Zagreb 8 points
24. PSG 7 points
ELIMINATED
25. Feyenoord 7 points
26. Stuttgart 4 points
27. Shakhtar 4 points
28. Sparta Prague 4 points
29. Sturm Graz 3 points
30. Girona 3 points
31. Red Star 3 points
32. Salzburg 3 points
33. Bologna 1 point
34. Leipzig 0 points
35. Slovan Bratislava 0 points
36. Young Boys 0 points