Why a Top-Eight Champions League Finish Is Crucial for Arsenal — Even Though There’s No Trophy for First

Arsenal look pretty much nailed on to finish in the top eight in the league phase of this season’s UEFA Champions League.

In fact, the Gunners — who visit Club Brugge in Belgium this week — are favourites to finish in first place, after taking maximum points from their opening five fixtures.

But just how important are the final positions in the league phase?

Will Arsenal get a trophy if they finish top in the Champions League?

UEFA did not award Liverpool a trophy last season when they finished in first place in the first-ever 36-team Champions League table.

The winners of this season’s league phase will also not receive any silverware as a result. However, FootballBlog.co.uk understands that UEFA is open to the idea of handing out a mid-season prize in future seasons.

What about prize money?

Teams that finish in the top eight of the league phase receive a €2 million (£1.74m) bonus for qualifying automatically for the round of 16. There is no special bonus for finishing first, but UEFA do award €275,000 (£239,250) for every position in the league phase table.

That means finishing top is worth over €1 million (£870,000) more than finishing fifth, before any knockout-round earnings are even considered.

With league phase victories also worth €2.1m (£1.83m) and draws worth €700,000 (£609,000), Arsenal’s fine start has already guaranteed them a sizeable share of the pot.

Seeding perks

A new Champions League rule brought in following complaints from Arsenal means that finishing first in the league phase is now more meaningful than it was last season.

From this season, the team that finishes higher in the league phase will always have home advantage in the second leg of every knockout round up to and including the semi-finals.

Last year, the top eight were guaranteed that perk in the round of 16 only. For the quarter-finals and semi-finals, the order of home and away legs was determined by the draw.

But the new system removes that element of chance. If you finished higher than your opponent in the league phase — and first is higher than everyone — then you are rewarded with the decisive second leg at home for the rest of your Champions League journey.

UEFA introduced this change after Arsenal complained that last season’s format unfairly penalised them. Despite finishing third in the league phase, they had to play second legs away against both Real Madrid and PSG, who finished 11th and 15th respectively.

Main reason Arsenal must finish in the Champions League top eight

While money and seeding perks matter, the biggest reason Arsenal must secure a top-eight finish is simply to avoid February fixture congestion.

Clubs finishing outside the top eight must compete in a two-legged knockout play-off in mid-to-late February in order to reach the round of 16. Those ties fall right in the middle of a brutal domestic schedule that also includes the Premier League, the FA Cup fifth round and, for some teams, the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

Teams failing to qualify automatically for the last 16 could find themselves playing as many as nine matches in 29 days during February.

For Arsenal — who have had well-documented injury issues this season — adding two extra Champions League ties to an already crammed calendar could be hugely damaging, not only to their European hopes but also their primary objective of achieving Premier League glory.

Between Premier League fixtures, potential cup commitments and a north London derby away at Tottenham on February 21, Mikel Arteta’s side could be stretched to breaking point.

Automatic qualification for the Champions League’s round of 16 would give Arsenal two free midweeks in February. That breathing space could allow key players to recover, lighten the load on the squad and reduce the risk of further injuries heading into the decisive months of the campaign.

Chelsea, who played 64 matches last season in a gruelling campaign that did not end until the FIFA Club World Cup final on July 13, would also love some time and space to breathe in February.

The importance of avoiding European play-offs is not exclusive to Arsenal. Likewise, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle and Tottenham would love to skip them by finishing in the top eight.

But it feels like Arsenal — as leading but scarred contenders in the Premier League title race — have more at stake.

Some fans have even talked up Arsenal as quadruple contenders. That may be just a pipe dream at this stage, but topping the Champions League table would at least make it slightly more realistic.