Sports
Is LaLiga’s American dream over? Why Barça vs. Villarreal in Miami was canceled
Less than two weeks after LaLiga announced it would stage its first-ever regular-season match outside of Spain, with champions Barcelona taking on Villarreal at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on Dec. 20, it confirmed on Tuesday that the game was off.
Oct. 21 was meant to be when the presale window opened for match tickets, but instead there came a statement on social media that this had been delayed. That was followed a few hours later by confirmation form LaLiga that the game would not go ahead. It was the latest in a long line of setbacks for the league in its attempts to host a competitive fixture on foreign soil, but certainly the most chastening and high profile.
While top European clubs playing matches against each other abroad is nothing new — with heavyweight clashes on preseason tours and even Super Cup matches now annual events across the globe — so far they have yet to follow the lead of U.S. sports leagues like the NFL and NBA in staging regular-season league fixtures beyond their own borders.
LaLiga’s aborted scheduling of Barcelona vs. Villarreal in Miami was as close as any of Europe’s top leagues have gotten to taking their show on the road. So why did it fall through? Will LaLiga and other leagues keep trying? And why are Real Madrid among the big winners? ESPN’s Alex Kirkland, Sam Marsden and Lizzy Becherano explain what happened and what comes next.
– Real Madrid vs. Barcelona: Stream El Clásico LIVE 10/26 on ESPN+ (U.S.)
– How Man United’s Rashford has revitalized his career at Barcelona
– Ballon d’Or favorite to Madrid bench: What’s going on with Vini Jr.?
LaLiga announced on Oct. 8 that the Miami game was going ahead. How much time and effort did it take to get them to that point?
LaLiga first announced formal plans to hold a regular-season game in the U.S. back in 2018, when it signed a 15-year partnership with Relevent to promote and grow the league in North America. The first failed bid involved Girona vs. Barcelona in January 2019; since then, there have been multiple attempts, including with Villarreal vs. Atlético Madrid in February 2020, and Barça vs. Atlético in December 2024. But it had never gotten as close as this.
Previously, opposition from world governing body FIFA, the Spanish football federation (RFEF), and U.S. Soccer was a major roadblock. But that vanished following Relevent’s successful lawsuits against FIFA and U.S. Soccer, and a post-Luis Rubiales change of leadership at the RFEF led to relations thawing with LaLiga. That left a potentially viable path to making the game happen.
One big hurdle was cleared in August, when the RFEF agreed to pass the Miami game request on to UEFA; then, on Oct. 6, European football’s governing body “reluctantly” approved it, citing issues with FIFA’s under-review rules on the subject. A source told ESPN that U.S. Soccer approved the match being hosted in the United States, while regional confederation Concacaf received a request from the RFEF on Oct. 9 for the match to be played on its territory. As of Tuesday, Concacaf was still deliberating on that request, but LaLiga had long since announced that the game would be going ahead, despite widespread opposition and a lack of clarity from Spain’s sports ministry (CSD).
And now, two weeks later, it’s off. What changed?
Opposition to the project had become more visible, more vocal and more organized in recent weeks. Real Madrid’s stance was no surprise — they said in August they would do what they could to block the plans, asking FIFA, UEFA and the CSD to step in — and in any case they are at odds with LaLiga on a long list of issues ranging from referees and match officials to the club’s continued push for a European Super League.
But in recent days senior players such as Dani Carvajal and Thibaut Courtois have spoken out against the game, with Courtois saying it would “totally affect the integrity of the competition” by unbalancing the format of every team playing each other once at home and once away over the course of the season. Meanwhile, coach Xabi Alonso said: “We’re against the game, because we believe it influences the competition. There isn’t unanimity among all the participating clubs. We haven’t been consulted.” Even Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong and coach Hansi Flick said they didn’t like the idea.
Last weekend’s leaguewide protest, when players paused for the opening 15 seconds of their matches, was organized by club captains and the players’ union AFE. It was an attention-grabbing initiative “to denounce the lack of transparency, dialogue and coherence of LaLiga regarding the possibility of playing a game in the United States.” and it got even more coverage thanks to match broadcasts on the league’s world television feed cutting to exterior shots as the players made their demonstration.
Beyond those dissenting voices, which could possibly have been ignored, there was also the “uncertainty” cited in LaLiga and Relevent’s respective statements. There was the threat of legal action from Real Madrid, and the fact that the CSD — susceptible to political pressure — was yet to formally pronounce on the issue.
There were other minor issues, brushed off by LaLiga sources to ESPN as not being significant, but factors that were cumulatively enough to sow more seeds of doubt. After receiving the application to host a game in the U.S. from the RFEF, Concacaf began to consult key regional and global stakeholders. During the review process, the confederation went to the RFEF with a list of questions before receiving heavy pushback on a variety of topics, including a FIFA rule that pertains to the refereeing for the match, a source told ESPN.
FIFA regulations state: “The host Confederation and FIFA may replace the proposed appointed referees at its sole discretion. Once authorization has been granted, the host Confederation shall notify the host Member, FIFA and the non-host Confederation(s).” Concacaf questioned the RFEF on how officials would approach the officiating of the match, insisting that the confederation of North America, Central America and the Caribbean be in charge of appointing the referees for the game. A source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN that the RFEF did not agree with the policy. Still, despite pushback from the RFEF, Concacaf had neither approved nor denied the request made to host a game in the United States.
There was also the possibility of a congested schedule at Hard Rock Stadium. The Miami Dolphins play an NFL game on Dec. 21, and there is also the chance that the University of Miami will have a game there in the first round of the College Football Playoff, due to take place on Dec. 20. However, while the packed schedule would not have been ideal for the parties involved, stadium sources told ESPN they were confident that the field would be able to accommodate all events.
Therefore, the full picture isn’t yet clear, but with just two months to go, the clock was ticking — “there is insufficient time to properly execute an event of this scale,” Relevent said on Tuesday — and with so many questions still unanswered, organizers couldn’t risk putting tickets on sale this week, only to later suffer what would have been an even more embarrassing retreat.
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Atletico Madrid and Osasuna protest against Miami game
Atletico Madrid and Osasuna’s players stand still after the kick-off whistle in protest against the Villarreal vs. Barcelona game in Miami.
Was anyone actually in favor of this game, besides the organizers and the clubs involved?
Good question. Of course, LaLiga, Relevent and the two clubs were in favor, but there was very little public support from elsewhere. UEFA’s statement spoke of being opposed to domestic games being played abroad, but effectively suggested its hands were tied until it is able to make changes to the regulations. Once UEFA had “reluctantly” approved the game, a source told ESPN that FIFA would not step in to override the decision, suggesting it was one which had to be taken by European football’s governing body. However, according to a source, U.S. Soccer approved the match being hosted in the United States, while Concacaf had not yet turned it down.
All that said, the general opposition to taking the game outside of Spain was quite weak. Even the AFE’s public statements focused on the desire for more information to be made available from LaLiga. They demanded confirmation that the players’ working rights would be respected.
“We were neither for nor against the game being played [in Miami],” Atlético Madrid’s Koke said on Tuesday. “We were asking for transparency.” The AFE president, David Aganzo, had suggested taking the issue to politicians and the CSD, but the general feeling was he had not gone as hard as he could.
Who are the biggest winners and losers here?
Real Madrid have come out of this very well. They will feel their public stance on competitive integrity has been vindicated, and chalk this up as a significant win in their battles for power and influence with LaLiga and its president, Javier Tebas. It’s also a victory for many players, fans and pundits who opposed the Miami game on fairness grounds — with genuine concerns about the integrity of the home/away format being permanently compromised — and those who worried about the longer-term implications for local, match-going fans.
As for losers: the big ones are LaLiga and Tebas, having pushed so hard this time, at the fourth attempt, and lost credibility with this latest withdrawal. It’s not great news for Villarreal either, who took a risk — alienating some fans — with their acceptance of the plan. Ultimately, they were rewarded with nothing in return. They are deeply unhappy with how this was handled, using a club statement to declare their “deep displeasure with LaLiga” over their poor of the match. Barça, meanwhile, miss out on a payday that club president Joan Laporta had said on Sunday would “make up for having to play two games at the Estadi Johan Cruyff,” earlier this season, when having to play at a 6,000-capacity stadium severely dented their matchday revenue while the renovation of their Camp Nou home continues.
And what about the fans? Whether they are winners or losers here may depend on what side of the Atlantic they are on. Barça say they “regret deeply that U.S.-based supporters are denied the opportunity to see an official game in their country.” However, for Villarreal fans, and especially season-ticker holders, it means one of their two biggest home games of the season (the other being Madrid’s visit) is now back at the Estadio de la Cerámica. There were plans in place for supporters to travel to Miami, and for others to be compensated for the loss of a home fixture, but the overriding feeling will be of relief at being able to see their team tackle the Spanish champions on home soil.
Is this the end of the matter? What will it take now for the game to happen?
If we focus on what we know at this early stage, it’s unlikely to be the end of LaLiga’s plans to take a game abroad. Firstly, Tebas has spoken many times about this being a multiyear project. It has failed four times now and he was more fuming than ever after this latest failure. Posting on social media, he made not-so-subtle references to Madrid and the AFE, two of the biggest critics of the proposals.
Tebas wrote, without explicitly naming Madrid: “The ‘integrity of the competition’ argument is invoked by those who have been questioning that same integrity for years, pressuring referees and leaders, constructing distorted narratives, or using political and media pressure as a sporting tool.” His line about others “being drawn into debates about information that was already addressed in 2018 was just an excuse to kill the project” was a nod to the AFE’s demonstrations. “We will keep trying,” he signed off. “This time, we came very close.”
Relevent’s statement, meanwhile, suggests that, in addition to the friction in Spain, the lack of time left to organize the game was a significant hurdle. That can be fixed next time quite easily with better planning.
Dig a little deeper, though, and it’s worth wondering what the consequences of this latest setback will be. Villarreal are especially unhappy with how everything has played out. Coach Marcelino García Toral said it was “disrespectful” how the official announcement was made during his side’s UEFA Champions League defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday. Sources at the club bemoaned the management of the game from start to finish, saying they never got a straight answer about anything.
It begs the question: Would Villarreal be prepared to sign up for another game in the U.S.? And what will other clubs looking in from the outside be thinking? There had already been confusion this week when Barça president Laporta said the club would receive a payment for the Miami game, in contrast to his counterpart at Villarreal, Fernando Roig Negueroles, who had said the opposite. It will leave the other clubs with plenty of questions should LaLiga ask them to move a fixture abroad in the future. What’s really in it for them?
Meanwhile, the issue cannot be parked due to the cancellation of the LaLiga game; Italy’s Serie A is planning to play a match between AC Milan and Como in Perth, Australia, in February.
A working group set up by FIFA is expected to announce recommendations to rule changes regarding the governing of international matches in the coming months. The working group includes representatives from member associations, confederations, European Football Clubs (EFC) and global players’ union FIFPRO, among others. LaLiga will be attentive to any rulings which could make or break their plans moving forward.
Sports
No more Nimmo, Timmy Trumpet and their all-time HR king: Remaking the Mets after historic collapse
The New York Mets arrived in Orlando, Florida, for the winter meetings last week with a chance to re-sign closer Edwin Diaz and first baseman Pete Alonso.
Díaz had already received two contract offers — one of three years from the Los Angeles Dodgers and another of five years from the Atlanta Braves. Díaz, though miffed by the Mets not alerting him before signing free agent reliever Devin Williams a few days before, still wanted to wait for an offer from his longtime team, sources told ESPN.
The offer came on Dec. 7: three years, $66 million with $21 million deferred over 10 years. Negotiations continued from there, and the Mets ultimately produced another offer, adding a $9 million signing bonus to match the Dodgers, with the $21 million deferred over 15 years.
But Díaz, who turns 32 in March, wanted an annual average value of at least $20 million and less deferred money spread over a shorter period. The Mets, according to a source, refused to meet those terms. The Braves, though offering more years, also declined to meet the criteria.
That left the Dodgers, the two-time defending World Series champions — with a nudge from Díaz’s Puerto Rican compatriot Kiké Hernández — to make an improved third offer: three years, $69 million with a $9 million bonus, $13.5 million in deferred money over 10 years, and a conditional $6.5 million option for 2029 that would trigger if he spends a certain number of days on the injured list. Díaz accepted, giving the Dodgers another All-Star for their loaded roster and another hole for the Mets to fill.
The next day, Alonso agreed to a five-year, $155 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles — terms so far beyond the Mets’ valuation of the 31-year-old slugger that they didn’t even make the franchise’s all-time home run leader a formal offer, according to sources, after showing real interest in fellow slugger Kyle Schwarber before he re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. On Friday, the day Díaz and Alonso were introduced by their new teams, the Toronto Blue Jays outbid the Mets for reliever Tyler Rogers, whom the Mets had acquired at the trade deadline for a doomed playoff push.
The losses, less than three weeks after Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns traded Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien in a swap of veterans with expensive contracts, were jarring to the fan base. In a vacuum, each decision can be explained with sound logic. But the departure of three mainstays — plus Rogers — produced an emotional firestorm. Nimmo, Alonso and Díaz were core players and fan favorites, with talent and personality that made them main characters at Citi Field for years. Now they are gone.
The Mets’ offseason, which began with most of manager Carlos Mendoza’s coaching staff shown the door, has thus far made one point clear: Stearns believes an overhaul is necessary after the team’s slow-motion collapse this year eradicated the previous season’s unforeseen run to the National League Championship Series. He determined the core wasn’t good enough not only after the Mets lost the final NL wild-card spot to the Cincinnati Reds on the last day of the 2025 campaign with a payroll of $340 million, but also because the team has now posted just two postseason series wins in seven seasons. Steve Cohen, the richest owner in baseball, has given Stearns the green light to operate as he sees fit — with calculated discipline — in his third offseason at the helm.
“I think we’re always weighing how certain transactions fit into the larger puzzle of the resources we have,” Stearns said at the winter meetings. “We have a lot of resources. No team has unending resources, and I’ve said that before. We’ve got all the resources we need, all of the payroll space. We need to put a really good team on the field. That doesn’t mean it’s infinite, nor should it be.”
Now the pressure is on Stearns to complement the Mets’ two remaining cornerstones — Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto — with the necessary personnel to rebound from 2025 and soothe the fan base.
The offseason is far from over. There are moves to make and they’ve already begun — the Mets initiated their pivot on Saturday, when they signed veteran infielder Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million contract. With a projected payroll already pushing $300 million, what could be next for Stearns & Co.?
Here’s a unit-by-unit look.
The starting rotation
Starting pitching, the No. 1 reason for the Mets’ downfall in 2025, has so far been largely unaddressed. That will undoubtedly change. The Mets added depth by claiming Cooper Criswell off waivers from the Boston Red Sox, but they are determined to make more substantial modifications to a group that currently includes Nolan McLean, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat.
For one, New York has informed teams that Peterson and Senga are available in potential contract swap trades, rival executives told ESPN, similar to the Nimmo-for-Semien exchange. Why trade from the rotation when they’re looking to improve it? The goal is to add front-line talent alongside the promising McLean.
“I think the trade market, in general, agnostic of position, is pretty active,” Stearns said. “And I think there’s a lot of chatter, and has been throughout this offseason, among teams in the trade market. Seems like teams in general are maybe a little bit more open and willing to be creative, to talk about different types of structures, to talk about need-for-need-type trades at the major league level than maybe we’ve seen over the past couple of years at least.”
Stearns strongly prefers not to give long-term contracts to starting pitchers in their late 20s and into their 30s. So, left-handed ace Framber Valdez, at 32, is a potential option only if his market craters and he’s open to a short-term deal. Michael King, a high-upside right-hander coming off an injury-plagued age-30 season with the San Diego Padres, could qualify for the Mets’ short-term preference. The former New York Yankee has a 2.93 ERA since converting from reliever to starter in August 2023, good for seventh in the majors among starters with at least 250 innings pitched.
In the trade market, Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, who is owed just $8 million in 2026 before reaching free agency, is available for the right terms, sources told ESPN. The right-hander went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA in 33 starts last season and has a 3.40 ERA in 95 starts over the past three seasons. Stearns is also familiar with Peralta from his eight years leading Milwaukee’s front office.
The Padres, looking to offload payroll, are open to trading right-hander Nick Pivetta one year after giving him a four-year, $55 million contract, sources told ESPN. Pivetta, 32, had his best big league season in 2025, registering a 2.87 ERA in 181⅔ innings across 31 starts. The Washington Nationals are also exploring trading MacKenzie Gore, a 26-year-old left-hander with two years of team control remaining. Gore was an All-Star for the first time in 2025, finishing with a 4.17 ERA in 30 starts after a turbulent second half.
Then there’s Tarik Skubal, arguably the best pitcher in the world. Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris has not shut down speculation of trading the two-time defending AL Cy Young Award winner — he instead recently reiterated there aren’t any “untouchables” in the organization — but it would take a huge haul for a player who is just one year from free agency. The Tigers also want to compete in a very winnable AL Central after consecutive playoff appearances, and they ultimately have until the trade deadline to move him.
Industry consensus is the Mets’ farm system has drastically improved in recent years, giving them the ammo to land established top-tier major leaguers in trades even if their top two prospects — McLean and outfielder Carson Benge — are off the table.
The bullpen
Díaz’s departure means no more of his signature Timmy Trumpet-infused entrances from the bullpen at Citi Field, and, more importantly, that Williams — signed to a three-year, $51 million deal — will assume the closer role.
“And we’re very comfortable with that,” Stearns said hours after news of Díaz’s decision broke last week. “I’ve certainly seen Devin perform at a very high level for a long time. I have full confidence that he can be one of the best relievers in baseball. I think he’s very motivated to do that, and I’m looking forward to watching.”
But the Mets’ front office has plenty of work left to do in the bullpen. As it stands, left-handers A.J. Minter, who will be coming off surgery for a lat tear, and Brooks Raley are the top established relievers outside of Williams.
The Mets also already missed out on Rogers, who agreed to a three-year, $37 million contract with a vesting option for a fourth year with Toronto, and Robert Suarez, who signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the Braves. Remaining options in free agency include Pete Fairbanks, Seranthony Dominguez, Luke Weaver, Brad Keller, Pierce Johnson, Kirby Yates and Shawn Armstrong.
The best possible replacement for Díaz could be Mason Miller if the Padres are willing to trade him. Miller, 27, has established himself as one of the top relievers in baseball with a fastball that averages over 100 mph. The right-hander compiled a 0.77 ERA in 22 appearances after the Padres acquired him at the trade deadline from the A’s for a four-player package that included shortstop Leodalis De Vries, one of the top prospects in the sport.
The infield
The 32-year-old Polanco, originally a shortstop before transitioning to second base, hasn’t logged an inning at first base in his 12-year major league career. Still, the Mets plan on using him there, as well as at designated hitter. Knee and hamstring injuries plagued the switch-hitter in 2023 and 2024 before he posted one of his best seasons in 2025, hitting 26 home runs with an .821 OPS in 138 games for the Seattle Mariners.
The other options for first base and designated hitter are Jeff McNeil and Mark Vientos. The Mets, however, have informed teams that both players are available in trades, rival executives told ESPN. McNeil, a 33-year-old former batting champion who can play around the diamond, is owed $15.75 million in 2026 and has a club option for the same amount for 2027. Vientos, 26, grades out as a subpar defender but enjoyed a breakout season in 2024, hitting 27 home runs with an .837 OPS in 111 games, before regressing to a .233/.289/.413 slash line and 17 home runs in 121 games in 2025. He is under team control through 2029.
Otherwise, the Mets’ infield appears set with Semien at second base, Lindor at shortstop, Brett Baty at third base and Francisco Alvarez behind the plate.
The outfield
With Soto entrenched in right field — Mendoza recently said having Soto DH is off the table despite his substantial defensive regression last season because Soto doesn’t like the role — the Mets have a hole in left field after trading Nimmo and could use an upgrade in center.
“I think between what’s available in free agency and some of the names that are being talked about in the trade market, that there’s a pretty robust group out there,” Stearns said of available outfielders during the winter meetings. “There’s a pretty robust market, and we’re going to continue to explore that. And I also think we’ve got some really good internal candidates as well.”
If the season began tomorrow, McNeil would play left field with Tyrone Taylor or Benge in center. Stearns has said he expects Benge, a first-round pick in 2024, to contribute in 2026, and that could be in center or left.
External outfield options include free agents Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker or trading from the team’s starting pitching depth for a contractually cheaper alternative. Bellinger could play center, left and first base. Tucker hasn’t played left field since 2020.
Both players seek long-term contracts, which could give Stearns pause. He has remained firm in his approach during a transformative offseason. Time will tell if the approach is the right one.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Alden González contributed to this report.
It’s time for the NBA’s in-season tournament to find a new home after three years of underwhelming crowds in Sin City.
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The UEFA Women’s Champions League will play its final matchday of the new-look league phase on Dec. 17, with all nine games kicking off at 3 p.m. ET (8 p.m. GMT).
All 18 teams have been battling to progress since early October and we now have a rough idea which 12 teams will be able to qualify for the knockout stages, either automatically or via a playoff.
The knockout draw, which sets the full path of the bracket, will be held on Thursday, Dec. 18. There is no country protection, meaning teams from the same league can face each other throughout the knockouts.
Here’s everything you need to know.
How does qualification work?
The top four in the league-phase table go straight through to the two-legged quarterfinals, which are to be played on March 24 and April 1.
The eight teams in positions 5 through to 12 go into the knockout-phase playoffs, which will be played on Feb. 11-12 and Feb. 18-19, to earn a place in the quarterfinals.
Teams in positions 13 to 18 are eliminated.
Then, from the league-phase playoffs onwards, the competition has a two-legged format through to the semifinals, with a traditional one-legged final.
How does the league phase feed into the knockout bracket?
The new format gives importance to league placing with teams paired. The higher you finish, the more favorable your path, including that jump direct to the quarterfinals for the top four.
Here’s how it works.
For the knockout-phase playoffs, the draw will create four ties from:
11 or 12 vs. 5 or 6 (two ties)
9 or 10 vs. 7 or 8 (two ties)
The draw will place the four ties which have been created into a position in the bracket, in either the silver or blue half.
Then the paired teams in positions 1 & 2, and 3 & 4, will be drawn into one of two possible positions, again to create fixtures.
For the quarterfinals, the draw will be:
The winners of a tie involving 7, 8, 9 and 10 will play 1 or 2 (two ties)
The winners of a tie involving 5, 6, 11 and 12 will play 3 or 4 (two ties)
The whole bracket is now set.
The teams that finish in positions 1-4 will be at home in the second leg of the quarterfinals.
The semifinal ties are already set by the bracket draw. In principle, the teams ranked 1 and 2 will play the semifinal second leg at home. However, if 1 and/or 2 are knocked out in the quarterfinals, the home right will pass to the team that has eliminated them. For instance, if Arsenal (first) are knocked out by Paris FC (ninth), it’s Paris FC who will have home advantage in the final four.
So, it isn’t based on league placing — and that means it’s impossible for the teams that finish in third and fourth to get a home semifinal second leg, as they cannot claim it off first or second.
Who is through already?
Barcelona and OL Lyonnes both have 13 points, which secures them a top-four spot.
Chelsea, Juventus, Real Madrid, Wolfsburg, Arsenal, Manchester United and Paris FC have all secured at least a knockout-phase playoff spot.
Atlético Madrid basically have as well, as Valerenga can go level on points with them, but have a vastly inferior goal difference and would need to win 10-0.
OH Leuven are favorites for the final 12th spot, unless they lose or draw vs. Arsenal and Valerenga beat Bayern.
Who is out already?
Bottom side St. Pölten are out, while FC Twente, Benfica, Roma, Paris Saint-Germain (who lost their first four games) also can’t catch OH Leuven in 12th at this point.
What’s at stake in the final league-phase fixtures?
VfL Wolfsburg vs. Chelsea: A Wolfsburg win could propel them into the top four and automatic qualification (depending on other results). But they’d need Real Madrid and Juventus not to win. Chelsea will seal top four with a win, but if they draw, then Juventus, Real Madrid or Bayern could usurp them.
OH Leuven vs. Arsenal: Leuven should be safe in 12th spot even with a defeat, but if Valerenga beat Bayern then even a draw wouldn’t be enough as they would lose out on goal difference. Arsenal need other results to go their way to claim a top-four spot, with Chelsea, Juventus, Real Madrid, Bayern and Wolfsburg above them.
Bayern Munich vs. Valerenga: To finish in the top four, Bayern need to better the results of Juventus or Real Madrid as they have a vastly inferior goal difference. Valerenga need a miracle to claim the final playoff spot and avoid elimination: they have to win and hope Arsenal don’t lose to Leuven.
FC Twente vs. Real Madrid: Madrid will want to score as many as possible and get the win against the already eliminated Twente, as it’s close with Juve for fourth spot. If they do that, an automatic place is theirs.
Juventus vs. Manchester United: Juve are currently fourth but are only edging Madrid on goals scored, so they really need to win. A draw will likely put them into the playoffs. United could edge into the top-tier of the playoff draw if they get a win, or a draw and Wolfsburg lose to Chelsea.
OL Lyonnes vs. Atlético Madrid: Atlético will want to finish as high as possible to get a better playoff draw, and only a win will do that. They have a much better goal difference (+8) than the teams around them, but a draw would only get them as high as 10th. OL Lyonnes are through but will be keen to finish top — though they are six goals behind Barcelona.
Paris FC vs. Barcelona: Similar to Atlético, Paris FC but need a win to get into spots 5-8, but their goal difference is worse than the teams there if they draw. Barcelona are through but will be keen to finish top.
Roma vs. St. Pölten: Nothing, both are out.
Benfica vs. Paris Saint-Germain: Nothing, both are out.
When will the knockout games be played?
Playoffs:
Leg 1: Feb. 11-12
Leg 2: Feb. 18-19
Quarterfinals
Leg 1: March 23-25
Leg 2: March 31-April 2
Semifinals
Leg 1: April 24-26
Leg 2: May 1-3
Final
May 22, 23 at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Norway.
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