The Round-of-16 draw for the UEFA Champions League will take place on Monday, December 18, after the conclusion of the group stage earlier this week.

With the next round looming, let us explore the remaining teams and their form during the group stage, as well as the shock results for the stage. The main surprise of the round was Manchester United’s poor form in the stage, which meant they are eliminated after finishing at the bottom of their group.

Additionally, Newcastle United are also out of the competition as they also finished last in their group. This means that the English contingent in the Champions League has been cut in half going into the Round-of-16, with teams from Spain and Germany having strong showings.

Perhaps most impressive through this round were Manchester City and Real Madrid, who both won all six of their group stage fixtures for a dominant run through the round.

Defending champions Real Madrid easily dispatched their group compatriots and only conceded 7 goals in their six matchups. The Spanish-based powerhouse is well on its way to a title defence, after making light work of the round but could face far more formidable opposition going forward.

Manchester City was also flawless through the round and scored the full 18 points on offer from six matches. They also only conceded seven goals and walked away with a goal difference of 11. Norwegian striker Erling Haaland was one of 10 players with five goals and was instrumental in his team’s unbeaten run through the round.

Bayern Munich was also unbeaten in the round, though they lost points by way of a 0-0 draw against F.C Copenhagen. They finish the group stage with 16 points and top of their group and will look to continue their run through the competition.

F.C Barcelona suffered a shock defeat to Antwerp in the final match of the group stage but it was not enough to derail their hopes of qualification. The Catalans topped their group with 12 points but will be looking to improve their play as their opponents will get significantly more difficult in the next round. The former champions are joined in the Round of 16 by fellow Spanish teams Real Sociedad and Atlético  Madrid, who both topped their respective groups as well.

These results mean that La Liga was the most dominant league through the group stage with 4 teams from that league making it through to the Round-of-16 and they will account for a quarter of the teams in the next round. The Spanish League only suffered one casualty, with Sevilla eliminated from the competition after placing last in Group B with just two points.

Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund were the other group leaders through to the next round as well. The German club only won half of their fixtures, but scored enough points to secure a place in the next round and finish atop their group. The Gunners also emerge from their group with four wins from their six and only conceded 4 goals in all their matchups.

With the best teams left in the tournament, the groups should be far more evenly matched and should make for a competitive Round-of-16. The draw for the round will take place in Nyon, Switzerland and action will commence in February 2024.