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Champions League MD7: Arsenal Perfect, Top-8 Race Tight

www.espn.com - SOCCER •
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Arsenal remain the only perfect team in the Champions League league phase after a 3-1 win over Inter. Bayern Munich also clinched a top-eight finish, but the rest of the table is chaotic. With one matchday left, just two teams are guaranteed a bye to the round of 16, while 30 clubs still have stakes to play for.

The race for the top eight is a messy logjam. Ten teams are stuck on 12 or 13 points, and the fight for the final playoff spots is equally tight. This unpredictable scramble is exactly what proponents of the new Swiss Model format hoped to see, with almost every final matchday fixture carrying significant consequences for the knockout stage.

Manchester City's shocking upset at Bodo/Glimt and Napoli's draw with 10-man Copenhagen highlight the season's volatility. Several traditional powers, including Villarreal and Eintracht Frankfurt, are already eliminated. The final matchday will see the table bounce wildly as teams from the Premier League, Bundesliga, and Serie A scramble to secure advancement.