What does Shakhtar need to reach the Champions League playoffs.

Yesterday, January 22, 9 matches took place on the second game day of the 7th round of the Champions League.

Donetsk 'Shakhtar' defeated French Brest (2:0) in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

In the standings, Liverpool is in the lead with 7 consecutive victories (21 points out of 21), while Barcelona is in second place (18). These two teams have guaranteed themselves a direct ticket to the Round of 16.

18 teams have advanced to the Champions League playoffs:

• Liverpool (21 points), Barcelona (18) – already in the Round of 16
• Arsenal, Inter (16), Atletico, Milan (15), Atalanta (14),
• Bayer, Aston Villa, Monaco, Feyenoord, Lille, Brest (13 each)
• Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus, Celtic (12 each)

The following teams maintain chances to reach the top 24:

• PSV, Brugge (11 each)
• Benfica, PSG, Sporting, Stuttgart (10 each)
• Manchester City, Dinamo Zagreb (8 each)
• Shakhtar Donetsk (7)

Shakhtar has 7 points and is in 27th place in the Champions League standings (goal difference 7–13). The qualifying zone for the top 24 ends at 10 points (Stuttgart has a goal difference of 12–13).

The last round will take place on January 29. The top 8 clubs will advance to the Round of 16. Teams that finish from 9th to 24th will participate in the Round of 32. The 12 weakest teams will say goodbye to European competitions.

So far, the English grand Manchester City remains outside the playoffs with 8 points (25th place) but has a chance to save its European season if they win against Brugge in the last round.

Shakhtar still has small chances to advance to the playoffs

For this, the team of Marino Pusich needs to win by a large margin away against Borussia Dortmund (January 29). They also need to hope for a crushing defeat of one of their competitors (Benfica, PSG, Sporting, Stuttgart) plus a loss of points from Manchester City and Dinamo Zagreb.

For example, a win for the miners against Borussia Dortmund (3:0) would suffice, provided that Stuttgart loses to PSG by 0:3, Manchester City does not win against Brugge, and Dinamo Zagreb does not take three points against Milan. The chances of such a scenario are extremely minimal.

Recall that on Wednesday, January 22, in the match of the 7th round of the main phase of the Champions League 2024/25, Donetsk 'Shakhtar' defeated 'Brest' with a score of 2:0.

Both goals were scored by the Ukrainian team in the first half, with Kevin and Sudakov being the scorers. This is the second victory for the miners in the Champions League 2024/25. 'Shakhtar' is in 27th place in the standings with seven points.

Goals: Kevin (18), Sudakov (38, pen.)

The last match of the group stage of the Champions League will be held by 'Shakhtar' on January 29 against Dortmund's 'Borussia'.

This season, the Champions League is being held in a new format. In the main round, which lasts from September to January, 36 clubs participate. Each team plays 8 matches against different opponents rated by rank.

The top 8 teams will directly advance to the Round of 16, while clubs finishing from 9th to 24th will compete for a place there in playoff matches.