The UEFA Champions League group stage simply won’t end as 95 of the 96 games are in the books but the final game was pushed back to Thursday. Atalanta and Villarreal will play at 1 p.m. ET on Paramount+ to close things out ahead of Monday’s draw. The two could not get a game in after the head referee — in conjunction with the UEFA delegate and the teams — chose to postpone the match a day due to heavy snowfall in Bergamo. Snow should clear up overnight and the weather forecast for Thursday calls for partly cloudy skies and temps in the 30s (Fahrenheit).
All in all, 15 of the 16 spots in the knockout stage have already been booked, with two teams jockeying for the last ticket to the round of 16. Atalanta (6 points, 0 GD) trail Villarreal (7 points, +2 GD) by a point, essentially making this a virtual win-or-go-home scenario for the Italian side. Goal differential or head-to-head results will not be a factor here. A draw would be enough to see Villarreal through. Whichever team finishes third heads to Europa League play (more on that below).
And when the action is over, don’t forget that you can also check out the draw to determine the tournaments matchups in the knockout stages on Monday Dec. 13, on Paramount+.
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What’s at stake?
Group F: Atalanta (6 points, 0 GD) vs. Villarreal (7 points, +2 GD)
- Atalanta win: Advance to the knockout stage and finish two points ahead of VIllarreal in the group.
- Villarreal win: Advance to the knockout stage and finish four points ahead of Atalanta in the group.
- Draw: Villarreal would advance to the knockout stage and finish one point ahead of Atalanta in the group.
Champions League schedule
All times Eastern
Thursday, Dec. 9
- Atalanta vs. Villarreal, 1 p.m. (Paramount+)
Already advanced
Group A
- Manchester City are through as the group winner.
- Paris Saint-Germain are through as group runner-up.
Group B
- Liverpool are through as the group winner.
- Atletico Madrid are through as group runner-up.
Group C
- Ajax are through as the group winner.
- Sporting CP are through as group runner-up.
Group D
- Real Madrid are through as the group winner.
- Inter Milan are through as group runner-up.
Group E
- Bayern Munich are through as the group winner.
- Benfica are through as group runner-up.
Group F
- Manchester United are through as the group winner.
Group G
- Lille are through as the group winner.
- Red Bull Salzburg are through as group runner-up.
Group H
- Juventus are through as the group winner.
- Chelsea are through as group runner-up.
Europa League watch
Third-placed teams in each group will be relegated into the Europa League and enter in knockout round draw. The following teams are already locked into Europa League spots:
- RB Leipzig (Group A)
- Porto (Group B)
- Borussia Dortmund (Group C)
- Sheriff Tiraspol (Group D)
- Barcelona (Group E)
- Sevilla (Group G)
- Zenit Saint Petersburg (Group H)
