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Permutations: What Arsenal need to qualify for Champions League last-16 and avoid knockout play-offs

Everything you need to know ahead of the Gunners’ final league phase match on Wednesday

Lawrence Ostlere
Wednesday 29 January 2025 08:50 GMT
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Arsenal travel to Spain to face Girona in the final round of fixtures in the Champions League league phase tonight.

The Gunners sit third in the league standings and are on the verge of automatic qualification to the knockout rounds.

The top eight teams in the final Champions League league-phase table will automatically go through to the last 16. They will be joined by the winners from the play-offs; a set of eight two-legged ties between those clubs who finished between ninth and 24th in the league standings.

What do Arsenal need to qualify for Champions League last-16?

Victory last week against Dinamo Zagreb means that Mikel Arteta’s side are almost guaranteed an automatic qualification place in the last 16.

The Gunners begin the day in third and – barring an extraordinary shift in goal difference – will take one of the eight automatic places in the next round.

Tonight they face a Girona side who have already been eliminated from the competition, with the La Liga side having earned just one win from their seven matches so far.

Even if Arsenal were to lose by several goals, it woudl still require an extraordinary run of results for six teams to leapfrog them in the table, especially given four of the chasing pacl are pitted against one another tonight: Lille are playing Feyenoord, while Inter are playing Monaco.

Kai Havertz was on the scoresheet against Dinamo Zagreb
Kai Havertz was on the scoresheet against Dinamo Zagreb (Getty Images)

When is Girona vs Arsenal?

The match is due to kick-off at 8pm GMT on Wednesday 29 January at the Montilivi Stadium in Girona.

How can I watch it?

In the UK, the match will be shown live on TNT Sports 4, with coverage starting at 7pm. Subscribers can also watch online via discovery+.

You can purchase a TNT Sports subscription via discovery+ here, for only £30.99 per month.

Odds

Girona win 17/4

Draw 10/3

Arsenal win 4/7

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Prediction

Even a much-changed Gunners side should ease to a straightforward win in Catalonia.

Girona 0-2 Arsenal.

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