The UEFA Champions League returns on Wednesday with Matchday 8, the last day of league phase play. It's a recipe for chaos likes of which the sport has never seen before. All 36 teams will be in action as 18 games will take place simultaneously at 3 p.m. ET with so much left to be decided. But what do Real Madrid need on Wednesday to reach their goals?
Don't miss any of the Champions League. As always, you can catch all of our coverage across Paramount+, CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network all season long.
Real Madrid
Table position: 16th
Points: 12
Matchday eight opponent: Brest
What's needed: Real Madrid have a top-24 spot clinched, can qualify for top eight with lots of help
It's not impossible for Real Madrid to make the top eight. A win would give them 15 points, as many points as Atletico Madrid in fifth have coming into the final day. The issue is just how many teams in front of them Real Madrid would need to leap frog. To give you an idea of how difficult it might be. One scenario where Madrid advance would take eighth Leverkusen losing to Sparta Praha thus opening up the door. Lille and Feyenoord are both ahead of Madrid, but if they draw, Real could leapfrog them both. Similarly, they'd then need, Aston Villa to not beat Celtic at home, Monaco to not beat Inter, and Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich to both either not win, or win by small enough margins that Real can surpass them on goal difference. It's...a lot.
That said, when Real Madrid struggle early in UCL play, that's when the world needs to watch out, because they're at their most dangerous when it matters most. This team hasn't won five of the last 10 Champions League titles by accident and so while they have a shot at the top eight with a victory, it's more likely that Real Madrid will be in the playoff round as a side that no one will want to face. Kylian Mbappe has registered his first hat trick for the club at the right time as he'll be looked to for any glory that they can make happen this season. Los Blancos won't be worried despite their performances at this stage. They're guaranteed to advance, even if a bye is unlikely in the extreme. And that's when the magic happens.
Matchday 8 TV schedule
All times Eastern
| WEDNESDAY, JAN. 29 | TIME | HOW TO WATCH |
|---|---|---|
UEFA Champions League Today pre-match | 2 p.m. | |
The Golazo Show | 3 p.m. | |
Aston Villa vs. Celtic | 3 p.m. | |
FC Barcelona vs. Atalanta | 3 p.m. | |
Bayern Munich vs. Slavon Bratislava | 3 p.m. | |
Brest vs. Real Madrid | 3 p.m. | |
Dinamo Zagreb vs. AC Milan | 3 p.m. | |
Borussia Dortmund vs. Shakhtar Donetsk | 3 p.m. | |
Girona vs. Arsenal | 3 p.m. | |
| Inter vs. AS Monaco | 3 p.m. | Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Net |
| Juventus vs. Benfica | 3 p.m. | Paramount+, CBS Sports Network |
| Bayer Leverkusen vs. Sparta Prague | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
| Manchester City vs. Club Brugge | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
| Lille vs. Feyenoord | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
| PSV vs. Liverpool | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
| RB Salzburg vs. Atletico Madrid | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
| Sporting CP vs. Bologna | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
| Stuttgart vs. PSG | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
| Sturm Graz vs. RB Leipzig | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
| Young Boys vs. Crvena Zvezda | 3 p.m. | Paramount+ |
UEFA Champions League Today post-match | 5 p.m. | |
Scoreline | 6 p.m. | |
The Champions Club | 7 p.m. |
Champions League standings
Key: Positions 1-8 qualify for round of 16 while positions 9-24 qualify for knockout phase playoffs and positions 25-36 are eliminated.
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | +13 | 21 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 11 | +15 | 18 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 16 |
| 4 | Inter | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 16 |
| 5 | Atletico Madrid | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 11 | +5 | 15 |
| 6 | AC Milan | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 15 |
| 7 | Atalanta | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 4 | +14 | 14 |
| 8 | Bayer Leverkusen | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 13 |
| 9 | Aston Villa | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 13 |
| 10 | AS Monaco | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 13 |
| 11 | Feyenoord | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 15 | +2 | 13 |
| 12 | Lille | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 13 |
| 13 | Brest | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 13 |
| 14 | Borussia Dortmund | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 1 | +8 | 12 |
| 15 | Bayern Munich | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 11 | +6 | 12 |
| 16 | Real Madrid | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 12 | +5 | 12 |
| 17 | Juventus | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 12 |
| 18 | Celtic | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 12 |
| 19 | PSV | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 12 |
| 20 | Club Brugge | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 11 |
| 21 | Benfica | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 10 |
| 22 | PSG | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 10 |
| 23 | Sporting CP | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 10 |
| 24 | Stuttgart | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 13 | -1 | 10 |
| 25 | Manchester City | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 13 | +2 | 8 |
| 26 | Dinamo Zagreb | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 18 | -8 | 8 |
| 27 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 | -6 | 7 |
| 28 | Bologna | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 5 |
| 29 | Sparta Prague | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 19 | -12 | 4 |
| 30 | RB Leipzig | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 14 | -6 | 3 |
| 31 | Girona | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 3 |
| 32 | Crvena Zvezda | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 22 | -10 | 3 |
| 33 | Sturm Graz | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 14 | -10 | 3 |
| 34 | RB Salzburg | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 23 | -19 | 3 |
| 35 | Slovan Bratislava | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 24 | -18 | 0 |
| 36 | Young Boys | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 23 | -20 | 0 |
