Supercomputer prediction for Arsenal Champions League finish in league phase, and what it means for knockout rounds

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Arsenal are hoping to go far in the Champions League this season, with teams now adapting to the new format of the competition.

For the first time, the Champions League group stage has now become a ‘league phase’ with one huge table of 36 teams, rather than eight groups of four teams competing for the knockout stages.

To automatically qualify for the round of 16, Arsenal will need to finish in the top eight places in the table, whilst the 16 teams below will enter a playoff round to reach the knockouts.

Mikel Arteta will back his side to reach the knockout rounds automatically as one of the main contenders for the trophy, and this has also been backed by the stats.

Opta have now used a supercomputer to simulate possible outcomes of the league phase, in order to see how many points could be needed from the eight matches to qualify for the next round, as well as predict where teams will finish in the table.

• READ MORE: Everything to know about the Champions League in 2024/25 from group stage draw date, new format explained, Arsenal’s potential opponents, full schedule and more

Opta backs Arsenal to finish third in league phase of Champions League

Opta have now released their findings from their supercomputer, which ran over 50,000 simulations of the league phase of the Champions League.

The most likely point total for Arsenal is 17, which can be achieved with five wins, two draws and a defeat in the eight matches.

This ranks Arsenal third in the entire competition, with current holders Real Madrid in second place, and Manchester City in first.

This puts Arsenal above upcoming opponents Inter Milan, German champions Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool, indicating that they expect the Gunners to reach the knockout rounds with ease.

Why Arsenal victory vs PSG was monumental in Champions League hopes

Arsenal beat Paris Saint-Germain in a comfortable 2-0 victory in their first home game in the Champions League this season, and this was monumental for their qualification hopes.

PSG are now projected to finish eighth as a result, which would see them enter the knockout rounds by the tiniest of margins.

Arsenal were in pot two of the draw, with PSG and Inter Milan the pot one sides drawn against them, as the two hardest fixtures, followed by the away trip to Atalanta.

Arteta has navigated Arsenal through two of their hardest fixtures with four points and zero goals conceded, and this should allow his side to qualify for the knockouts with relative ease in the coming months.