UCL: Masters of their own destiny - Real Madrid, Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle & PSG

It all comes down to this. After tonight's Champions League clashes, we'll have the names of all teams that will continue the race for one of the most precious trophies in football, as the curtain falls on the league phase.

Two sides have already secured their TOP 8 spots - Arsenal and Bayern Munich. Four sides are eliminated - Kairat, Villarreal, Slavia Prague, and Eintracht Frankfurt. The remaining 30 clubs have a chance. Bigger or smaller, regardless. Their hopes are alive.

However, ahead of the final UCL matchday, only five teams seem to be masters of their own destiny - Real Madrid, Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle, and Paris Saint-Germain.

They are currently holding positions 3-6 and depend only on themselves and their results. The Reds and Los Blancos have 15 points each and have relatively easy tasks tonight.

Arne Slot and his crew face one of the most pleasant surprises of the current UCL campaign, the Azerbaijani Qarabag. Still, at Anfield, anything but the Premier League side's win would be a major upset.

On the other hand, Madrid will face Benfica and their former boss, Jose Mourinho, in Lisbon. In other circumstances, it would be a fierce away game, but given that the Eagles have almost no chance of advancing after losing to Juventus last week, the Spaniards may come up against an uninspired rival, which would significantly ease their job.

Tottenham have collected one point fewer than L'pool and Madrid, but have a massive chance to progress as one of the leading eight teams if they beat the already-eliminated Eintracht in Frankfurt.

Finally, PSG's current point tally is 13 - the same as Newcastle, Chelsea, Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, and Atalanta's. However, the Saints have one significant edge - their goal difference.

Namely, the Parisians and Newcastle have the same score (+10), and their first followers are the Blues with +6. A four-goal difference is a colossal advantage ahead of the final matchday.

Yet, Luis Enrique's crew face the very Magpies at home tonight, and a win almost certainly guarantees them a spot in the TOP 8, as their goal difference will hardly be surpassed. A loss sends Eddie Howe's team to the Round of 16, while the eventual draw puts both sides in a tricky position.

So, the four out of five aforementioned teams win, and all certainly advance regardless of any other outcome, joining Arsenal and Bayern. But that's easier said than done.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 8

Wednesday

23.00: (3.05) Ajax (3.50) Olympiacos (2.40)

23.00: (1.03) Arsenal (20.0) Kairat Almaty (60.0)

23.00: (2.75) Athletic Bilbao (3.45) Sporting Lisbon (2.65)

23.00: (1.33) Atletico Madrid (6.00) Bodo/Glimt (9.00)

23.00: (1.15) Barcelona (10.5) Copenhagen (17.0)

23.00: (4.00) Benfica (4.25) Real Madrid (1.85)

23.00: (2.80) Club Brugge (3.65) Olympique Marseille (2.50)

23.00: (2.95) Borussia Dortmund (3.50) Inter Milan (2.45)

23.00: (4.70) Eintracht Frankfurt (3.70) Tottenham (1.85)

23.00: (1.70) Bayer Leverkusen (4.20) Villarreal (4.90)

23.00: (1.12) Liverpool (12.0) Qarabag (19.0)

23.00: (1.25) Manchester City (7.00) Galatasaray (12.0)

23.00: (3.80) Monaco (3.85) Juventus (1.95)

23.00: (3.40) Napoli (3.50) Chelsea (2.25)

23.00: (1.60) PSG (4.75) Newcastle (5.25)

23.00: (5.75) PSV (4.75) Bayern Munich (1.55)

23.00: (2.70) Pafos (3.35) Slavia Prague (2.80)

23.00: (3.50) St. Gilloise (3.65) Atalanta (2.10)

***odds are subject to change***