Cody Gakpo, left, of Liverpool in action against PSV's Rick Karsdorp. EPA
Cody Gakpo, left, of Liverpool in action against PSV's Rick Karsdorp. EPA
Cody Gakpo, left, of Liverpool in action against PSV's Rick Karsdorp. EPA
Cody Gakpo, left, of Liverpool in action against PSV's Rick Karsdorp. EPA

Who is through in the Uefa Champions League and what’s next?


Steve Luckings
  • English
  • Arabic

The revamped Uefa Champions League group phase reached its conclusion on Wednesday, with some of Europe's biggest clubs leaving it late to secure their place in the next round.

Manchester City came from behind to beat Club Brugge and squeeze into a place in the play-offs, while the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain also did enough to book a place in the play-offs.

AC Milan, Benfica and Celtic – all former champions of Europe – also advanced.

Which teams finished in the top eight?

Liverpool could afford the luxury of losing their final match to PSV Eindhoven, finishing with an impressive record of seven wins from eight matches to win the group stage.

Barcelona signed off their group phase with a draw against Atalanta to finish second.

Top eight: Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, Aston Villa.

Ousmane Dembele's hat-trick helped propel PSG to victory over Stuttgart and into the Champions League play-offs. Reuters
Ousmane Dembele's hat-trick helped propel PSG to victory over Stuttgart and into the Champions League play-offs. Reuters

Which teams made the play-offs?

The teams that finished 9th to 24th will enter a two-legged play-off, to be played in February, to determine the final eight teams.

Knockout phase play-offs: Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, PSV, Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Monaco, Brest, Feyenoord, Juventus, Celtic, Manchester City, Sporting, Club Brugge.

Which teams are eliminated?

Dinamo Zagreb, Stuttgart, Shakhtar Donetsk, Bologna, Sparta Prague, Leipzig, Girona, Red Star Belgrade, Sturm Graz, Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys.

Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal was on target in the 2-2 draw against Atalanta. AFP
Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal was on target in the 2-2 draw against Atalanta. AFP

Who meets in the knockout phase play-offs?

The teams who finished between ninth and 24th play two-legged play-off ties on February 11-12 and 18-19 to decide who goes through to the last 16.

The draw will take place on Friday at 11am GMT (3pm UAE) but teams already know which sides they have a 50 per cent chance of meeting because of their final positions in the league phase.

Either Celtic or Manchester City will play European champions Real Madrid – with the other taking on fellow giants Bayern Munich.

Teams also know the two possible clubs they could face in the last 16 if they progress through the play-off.

The winner of those ties involving City and Celtic will take on either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16.

Who meets in the last 16?

Liverpool and Barcelona cannot meet until the final now after finishing first and second.

The Reds will play one of Monaco, Brest, PSG or Benfica in the last 16 – with Barca facing another of those teams.

Arsenal, who finished third, will play Feyenoord, Juventus, AC Milan or PSV.

Aston Villa, who just finished in the top eight after beating Celtic, will take on Sporting, Club Brugge, Atalanta or Borussia Dortmund.

Those ties will take place on March 4-5 and 11-12.

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

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The Farewell

Director: Lulu Wang

Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma

Four stars

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La Mer lowdown

La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
 

Indika
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Why your domicile status is important

Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.

Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born. 

UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.

A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.

'The worst thing you can eat'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
MATCH INFO

RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')

Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)

Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin

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Updated: January 30, 2025, 9:47 AM