Champions League Matchday 4 Recap

Bayern+Munich+punched+its+ticket+into+the+knockout+round+of+the+UEFA+Champions+League.+%28Courtesy+of+Twitter%29

Bayern Munich punched its ticket into the knockout round of the UEFA Champions League. (Courtesy of Twitter)

After a three week break, the Champions League returned for its fourth matchday of the group stages on last Tuesday and Wednesday. Before the matches, several teams could qualify for the knockout stages: Bayern Munich from Group A, Manchester City from group C, Liverpool from Group D, Chelsea and Sevilla from group E and finally Barcelona and Juventus from group G. As a refresher, the top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stages while the third- place team plays in the Europa League, which is below the Champions League.

There were some notable results in the fourth matchday. Bayern Munich beat RB Salzburg 3-1 and therefore secured its ticket to the knockout stages. This was expected since the team is the reigning champion and has shown no signs of stopping. In Group B, the bottom two teams of Real Madrid and Inter Milan faced off in a game that determined their chances of qualifying for the knockout round. Madrid won 2-0 and now has a chance to qualify. Manchester City beat Olympiacos 1-0 and has also secured its spot in the knockout stages. 

Liverpool lost its match against Atalanta 2-0 and therefore was unable to qualify yet, but it seems a certainty since it only needs to win one more match. On the other hand, Chelsea beat Rennes 2-1 and secured a spot in the last 16. Sevilla qualified with a 2-1 victory over Krasnodar. Barcelona also qualified with a 4-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv, and Juventus qualified with a 2-1 win over Ferencvaros. And in Group H, Manchester United won 4-1 against Istanbul Basaksehir. PSG also won against RB Leipzig 1-0 in the group where any of those teams can qualify.

After four matchdays, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, and Barcelona are still undefeated. With six spots secured, there are still ten spots that are available for the rest of the teams. For teams like Real Madrid and the entirety of Group H, these are must-win games if they want to remain in the Champions League. The next matchday is Dec. 1 and 2. If any team wants to qualify for the Champions League or even the third place Europa League, the final two matches are must wins. If they lose, they will no longer play any European football until next year. But in the Champions League, anything can happen, so every team has a chance to produce something very special that can help their teams keep hope alive to win the biggest club trophy in the world.

You can find a full list of the Champions League standings here.