Who is on track to qualify for the Champions League?

Liverpool are at the top and on course to progress in the Champions League – but could Manchester City and Arsenal be at risk of missing out on a place in the top eight?

We’re halfway through the new 36-team league phase of the revamped Champions League and the table is starting to take shape.

Each club has now played four of the eight different teams they will face to decide who will qualify for this season’s knockout stages. This is the most significant update to the European elite competition since 1992.

There was no shortage of heavyweight fights, big shocks and quality entertainment.

But where does all this leave us and what does it mean for each club’s hopes of qualifying?

Who will qualify for the knockout phase?

Before we delve deeper into which teams are headed to the knockout stages and who may be in trouble, here’s a reminder of their goals.

Teams that finish in the top eight automatically advance to the round of 16, where they are seeded.

They await the winners of eight home-and-away knockout playoff games between the clubs ranked ninth to 24th.

Those who finish between ninth and 16th are seeded and will face a team ranked 17th to 24th, with the advantage of playing the second leg at home.

The clubs in 25th place or below are eliminated and do not receive access to the Europa League.

How many points are required to qualify?

With this being the first edition of the new format, it remains to be seen exactly how many points will be required to secure a valuable top eight spot or avoid elimination from the competition.

Ahead of this season’s competition, Opta calculated each team’s expected points total and likelihood of progressing using 50,000 simulations of the league stage.

They found that 16 points – possibly five wins and a draw from eight games – would provide a 98 percent chance of finishing in the top eight.

Meanwhile, achieving 10 points – for example three wins and a draw – would mean a 99 percent chance of finishing in the top 24.

However, any team that has accumulated fewer than nine points can expect their involvement in European competition to end this season.

Which clubs are on track and who is in danger?

management Liverpoolwho next face champions Real Madrid are the only team to have a perfect record after four games and, according to Opta’s pre-tournament calculations, would need just four points from the remaining four games to secure a place in the round of 16 to secure.

These numbers suggest it Sporty – after their impressive 4-1 win against Manchester City – Monaco, Brest And Inter Milan are all in excellent shape and have already achieved the 10 points likely required to confirm qualification in some form.

Aston Villa – although their perfect start was ruined by Club Brugge – they complete the current top eight behind them Barcelona And Borussia Dortmundeach with nine points.

There are still many European heavyweights outside of these positions Manchester Cityin the 10th, and arsenal12th after the defeat against Inter Milan, with seven points and therefore not on track to reach the 16-point target.

City’s remaining games include Juventus and Paris St-Germain, while Arsenal face leaders Sporting and Monaco in their next two games.

Celtic are 15th and also have seven points after boosting their hopes with a second win, the 3-1 win over Leipzig on Tuesday. They host Villa in the final on Wednesday, January 29, when all 36 teams will play at the same time.

The trio is joined by other players with seven points such as: Juventus (11.), Bayern Munich (17.) and real Madrid (18th).

French master Paris St Germain are the biggest name outside the top 24, having won just one of their first four games, with City and Bayern Munich still to follow.

View the full Champions League table here.

Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 10pm on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

There will also be a Champions League Match of the Day on Wednesday from 10:40pm to 12:00am on BBC One.