Eight teams are already through with eight more berths to be filled before the 16 December draw.
Group winners (seeded): Barcelona (ESP), Bayern (GER), Juventus (ITA), Manchester City (ENG), Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Group runners-up (unseeded): Real Madrid (ESP), Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
Qualified – final position to be confirmed: Leipzig (GER)
Barcelona (ESP)
UEFA ranking: 2
Group stage: W3 D2 L0 F7 A3
Top scorer: Luis Suárez (3)
Last season: semi-finals
European Cup best: winners x5 (1992, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015)
Who’s in charge?: Ex-Barcelona forward Ernesto Valverde has been in charge since 2017; he has led the club to back-to-back Spanish titles, but a perceived lack of UEFA Champions League success has undermined him somewhat.
Their campaign in ten words: Jury still out on Griezmann-Messi-Suárez trident up front
Bayern München (GER)
UEFA ranking: 3
Group stage: W5 D0 L0 F21 A4
Top scorer: Robert Lewandowski (10)
Last season: round of 16
European Cup best: winners x5 (1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013)
Who’s in charge?: Ex-Germany assistant Hans-Dieter Flick has been in interim command since early November. Jupp Heynckes is urging his old club to secure a longer deal with this gem of a coach, with Bayern looking more at ease under him.
Their campaign in ten words: Group stage top scorers, Lewandowski on fire: crisis, what crisis?
Juventus (ITA)
UEFA ranking: 5
Group stage: W4 D1 L0 F10 A4
Top scorer: Paulo Dybala (3)
Last season: quarter-finals
European Cup best: winners x2 (1985, 1996)
Who’s in charge?: Ex-Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri was installed in the summer after steering Chelsea to UEFA Europa League glory last May. The inventor of the high-pressing ‘Sarri-ball’ style, his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo has come under close inspection.
Their campaign in ten words: Solid performances, respectable results, but Ronaldo not at his sharpest
Leipzig (GER)
UEFA ranking: 45
Group stage: W3 D1 L1 F8 A6
Top scorer: Emil Forsberg, Marcel Sabitzer, Timo Werner (2)
Last season: UEFA Europa League group stage
European Cup best: round of 16 (2020)
Who’s in charge?: A centre-back whose career was ruined by injury, Julian Nagelsmann is a seasoned Champions League coach at 32; hired by Leipzig in summer 2019, he had made it to the 2018/19 group stage with Hoffenheim.
Their campaign in ten words: Bundesliga upstarts reach last 16 for first time; respect due
Manchester City (ENG)
UEFA ranking: 6
Group stage: W3 D2 L0 F12 A3
Top scorer: Raheem Sterling (5)
Last season: quarter-finals
European Cup best: semi-finals (2016)
Who’s in charge?: In 11 seasons as a first-team boss, Pep Guardiola has lifted eight league titles: three at Barcelona, three at Bayern and two at City. However, he claimed the last of his two managerial UEFA Champions League winners’ medals in 2011.
Their campaign in ten words: Sterling on fire, but City lack their usual killer instinct
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
UEFA ranking: 7
Group stage: W4 D1 L0 F12 A2
Top scorer: Kylian Mbappé (4)
Last season: round of 16
European Cup best: semi-finals (1995)
Who’s in charge?: Having succeeded Jürgen Klopp at Mainz and then Dortmund, Thomas Tuchel has proved that he can be a winner at Paris: an immediate championship since his arrival in 2018, but no great leap forward in Europe just yet.
Their campaign in ten words: Mbappé sparkles in Neymar’s absence, but knockouts are the key
Real Madrid (ESP)
UEFA ranking: 1
Group stage: W2 D2 L1 F11 A7
Top scorer: Karim Benzema (4)
Last season: round of 16
European Cup best: winners x 13 (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018)
Who’s in charge?: Re-hired in 2019, Zinédine Zidane has won the UEFA Champions League four times with Real Madrid: once as a player, three times as coach. After a lean spell, Sergio Ramos said the squad were committed to Zizou until death.
Their campaign in ten words: Following a shaky start, Zidane’s rejigged Madrid are looking good
Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
UEFA ranking: 12
Group stage: W3 D1 L1 F17 A11
Top scorer: Harry Kane (6)
Last season: runners-up
European Cup best: runners-up (2019)
Who’s in charge?: A European champion with Porto and Inter, José Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino in November. ‘The Special One’ has much to prove in north London after an underwhelming spell in charge of Manchester United.
Their campaign in ten words: Leaky defence, killer attack; can Mourinho fix 2019’s losing finalists?
