Episode 115: Matchday 8: The Group Phase Finale
Taylor analyzes the complete slate of Matchday 8 fixtures from the Champions League group phase. This epic conclusion featured sixteen fixtures in which at least one club had something to play for: a top-8 finish, a seeded playoff spot, or an unseeded playoff spot. As eighteen clubs had mathematically secured a top-24 finish after Matchday 7, nine clubs competed for the remaining six playoff spots, including PSV, Club Brugge, Benfica, PSG, Sporting, Stuttgart, Manchester City, Dinamo Zagreb, and Shakhtar Donetsk. Additionally, only Liverpool and Barcelona had mathematically secured top-8 finishes with an automatic bye to the round of 16, which meant that every club behind them fought heroically to secure safe passage to the last 16. And, well, then there was Sturm Graz, Leipzig, Young Boys, and Crvena Zvezda, who essentially played meaningless friendlies with absolutely nothing at stake. There was certainly no shortage of drama, delight, and despair. Timestamps: City vs Club Brugge 1:20-04:38 Stuttgart vs PSG 04:39-07:43 Dinamo Zagreb vs Milan 07:44-13:20 Sporting vs Bologna 13:21-17:17 PSV vs Liverpool 17:18-22:45 Barcelona vs Atalanta 22:46-24:58 Leverkusen vs Sparta Praha 24:59-26:41 Aston Villa vs Celtic 26:42-30:07 Lille vs Feyenoord 30:08-36:32 Juventus vs Benfica 36:33-39:42 Dortmund vs Shakhtar 39:43-44:04 Inter vs Monaco 44:05-47:31 Brest vs Real Madrid 47:32-50:35 RB Salzburg vs Atletico Madrid 50:36-54:02 Girona vs Arsenal 54:03-56:06 Bayern vs Slovan Bratislava 56:07-58:00 Sturm Graz vs RB Leipzig 58:01-59:20 Young Boys vs Crvena Zvezda 59:21-1:01:24 Group Phase Outcomes vs Predictions: 1:01:25-01:05:28 Playoff Round Preview: 01:05:29-01:16:40 Playoff Round Predictions: 01:16:41-01:17:34
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