In a hectic last round of the Champions League opening phase Wednesday, 16 into eight just won't go.
With all 36 teams playing in 18 games that kick off simultaneously, at 2000 GMT, only table-topping Arsenal and second-place Bayern Munich have sealed direct entry to the round of 16 with guaranteed top-eight finishes.
Third-place Real Madrid, on 15 points, down to Borussia Dortmund in 16th place on 11 points are targeting being in the top eight when final whistles sound in eight different countries across Europe.
The cut-off between eighth-place Chelsea and Barcelona in ninth, both on 13 points, is that the English club's goal difference of +6 is one better.
It shapes to be a similar outcome to the debut season of the new and expanded Champions League format last year when cut-off was 16 points to get into the top eight.
Still, defending champion Paris Saint-Germain showed one year ago that a 15th-place finish — and needing to survive a two-leg knockout playoff in a congested February schedule — was no barrier to winning the title.
Paris will be home to a tense game Wednesday when sixth-place PSG hosts seventh-place Newcastle. Both are on 13 points and the loser certainly will drop down into the playoffs, while a draw could send both into Friday's draw involving all the teams that finish ninth to 24th.
Looking to take advantage of any rivals slipping up are Barcelona and Manchester City, which is 11th.
