IT’S official – Arsenal had the toughest run of the four Premier League teams in this year’s Champions League.
The revamped format resulted in a chaotic final Gameweek on Wednesday with 18 matches played simultaneously.
Arsenal endured the toughest run of all four Prem teams in this year’s Champions League[/caption]
Our research shows Pep Guardiola’s Man City were the biggest underperformers[/caption]
All four of Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Liverpool remain in this year’s competition.
But City – the winners in 2023 – are the only English side who have to undertake the dreaded playoff route.
Liverpool were safely through to the last-16 before kick-off against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday.
While wins for both Arsenal and Aston Villa successfully secured their path to the knockouts.
SunSport has crunched the numbers and found the Gunners endured the hardest schedule of the four Prem sides.
Pep Guardiola’s City – who won just 3 of their 8 games – were the biggest underperformers, according to our research.
With every team’s schedule different, we looked at the final points tally for each team the Prem sides faced.
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To make it fair, we’ve also looked at the number of games played against teams that eventually finished in the top 8.
Teams playing against Arsenal amassed 92 points over the course of the group stage – the most of any English team.
That’s four more total points than those who faced Liverpool, with the Reds going through as group winners.
City’s opponents clocked up 83 points, while teams playing Villa could only muster 72.
Arne Slot’s Reds also had to take on two of the eventual top 8 – Lille and Leverkusen.
Arsenal and City faced one of the eventual top 8 in Inter Milan.
But City – who scraped through on Wednesday with a comeback win against Club Brugge – really should have secured qualification.
They faced both Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague, who managed to amass just four points combined.
City also came up against Paris Saint-Germain, who before the tournament kicked off looked to have a nightmare run.
The French champions’ total came out at 93 points, just one ahead of the Gunners.
While reigning champions Real Madrid – who could be on a collision course with City in the playoffs – played against teams who racked up a whopping 108 points.
Arsenal’s third-placed finish means they will face one of AC Milan, Juventus, PSV or Feyenoord in the last-16.
Liverpool could draw either PSG, Benfica, AS Monaco or Brest.
While Villa will take on either Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon or Club Brugge.
