Champions League: Arsenal leads the way, who joins the Gunners in the top 8?

UEFA CL group phase penultimate roundup: Barça, Chelsea, Liverpool win big; Arsenal near top spot, Real Madrid draw enough vs Benfica; Spurs eye top 8

Of the six Premier League clubs in the Champions League, only Arsenal is guaranteed of a top 8 finish. Who else is joining the Gunners in claiming automatic qualification? (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

The penultimate round of the UEFA Champions League group phase concluded on Wednesday night with Barcelona, Chelsea, and Liverpool all picking up vital wins as they all scramble to finish in the top 8, which guarantees automatic qualification into the round of 16.

It's imperative to stress the reason many of the big guns are hoping to sneak into the top 8. Teams that finish in the top 8 not only advance to the round of 16; they also avoid two-legged playoffs and would play the second leg of their round of 16 and quarter finals at home.

Arsenal is as good as guaranteed to finish on top of the rest of the bunch, with Kairat Almaty visiting the Emirates for the final game, while Bayern Munich is also guaranteed to finish in the top 8; the rest must fight for the right to be in there.

A draw might be enough for Real Madrid to get the job done, considering their goal difference, but a trip to Benfica shouldn't be too difficult to navigate for the record holders.

Benfica can make it harder for Real Madrid, with Jose Mourinho's side hoping for a miracle to qualify for the playoffs, but they will also need a lot of results to go their way, as they currently sit way off the 24th spot, which guarantees qualification.

Tottenham has a huge chance of making the top 8. Spurs travel to Germany on the final day, and with Frankfurt already out of reckoning, Thomas Frank can have a lease of life with a win that guarantees automatic qualification.

Liverpool is home to Qarabag; the Azerbaijan club has been impressive. Liverpool should win this one, but Qarabag needs at least a point to be safe; a loss could still work for the Azerbaijan champions, but they'd rather earn something to be safe.

Chelsea is the one that needs to be careful. Napoli must win or crash out of the Champions League, but Chelsea visiting the Diego Maradona Stadium could be a big one. This is a game we must keep an eye on.

Manchester City's loss to Bodo Glimt was quite damaging; the Cityzens need a win in their final game and would also need some other teams to lose, but can they beat Galatasaray? The Turkish club needs a win too to be safe, this will be interesting too.