The jury may still be out on the revamped 36-team Champions League league phase, especially as the demands on already-exhausted players grow ever more, but the first seven matchdays have thrown up their fair share of surprises as sides hunt down a coveted top-24 or top-eight finish.
A few fates have already been sealed ahead of the final gameweek, as perfect Liverpool and second-placed Barcelona have guaranteed their spots in the last 16 without the need for a two-legged playoff.
Meanwhile, a total of nine teams have eliminated from contention entirely - including Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig - but the vast majority of sides are still waiting to learn their final position, and subsequently their hopes of progression.
Ahead of a chaotic final matchday - where all 36 teams are in action on January 29 - Sports Mole looks at the possible permutations for gameweek eight of the 2024-25 Champions League season.
What do Arsenal need to qualify for the last 16?
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On the brink of joining Liverpool and Barcelona in the pot for the last-16 draw, Arsenal and Inter Milan both have 16 points on the board from their first seven matches, putting them three clear of Aston Villa in ninth position.
As a result, both sides only need to draw on the final day to guarantee a top-eight finish; Arsenal's task should be relatively simple away to already-eliminated Girona, although Inter face a tough test at home to Monaco, hovering just outside last-16 contention in 10th place.
The only encounter between two top-eight sides on the final matchday sees Barcelona host seventh-placed Atalanta BC, as Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen all face winnable matches against teams currently outside the top 24.
Draws should also be enough for 15-point Atletico and Milan to advance, but 14-point Atalanta and 13-point Leverkusen can leave nothing up to chance; the latter are only leading Aston Villa, Monaco, Feyenoord, Lille and Brest on goal difference.
Should Leverkusen suffer a shock loss at home to Sparta Prague while Monaco, Lille, Feyenoord and Brest all fail to win, Unai Emery's Villa could jump back into the top eight with just a point against Celtic, who are also still in contention to crack the top eight.
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Celtic all have 12 points to their name, but the quartet will all have to win to stand a chance of directly advancing to the last-16, as 13-pointers Lille and Feyenoord face each other on the last matchday - even then, other teams above them winning would extinguish their slim hopes.
Eleven-pointers PSV Eindhoven and Club Brugge - sitting 19th and 20th respectively - are the lowest-ranked sides who could still progress to the last 16, but they would need an incredible set of results to go their way, including Lille's clash with Feyenoord and Brest's meeting with Real Madrid to end level.
How can Man City be eliminated?
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Down the other end of the 36-team table, Premier League champions and 2023 UCL winners Man City are starting down the barrel of a premature elimination from Europe's premier competition with just eight points on the board from seven games.
The Citizens' 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain on the penultimate matchday allowed the French champions to leapfrog them in the standings, and the best that Pep Guardiola's men can now hope for is an unseeded playoff place.
To keep their Champions League dream alive, 25th-placed Man City simply have to beat Club Brugge on the final matchday - draw or lose and they are out - and given that the Belgian side are only two points better off, victory would almost certainly guarantee a top-24 finish no matter what happens elsewhere.
The only scenario where a win would not be enough would be if there is an astonishing goal difference swing in the favour of 26th-placed Dinamo Zagreb - the only other side on eight points - but given the Croatians' tally sits at -8 while Man City's is at +2, they would need to destroy AC Milan by an 11-goal margin or more for that to come to fruition.
None of PSG, Stuttgart, Benfica or Sporting Lisbon - all of whom are on 10 points - are safe just yet either, and a critical fixture pits the former against the latter, where victory for either will see them through.
However, Luis Enrique's men could still be knocked out if they lose by at least two goals and Man City and Dinamo Zagreb both win, or if they lose and Shakhtar Donetsk - on seven points - stun Borussia Dortmund away from home while making up an eight-strong goal difference.