In the group stage of the Champions League 2017/2018, eighteen teams have already booked their seats.
While Europe, with bated breath, is waiting for June 3 and the final match of the Champions League between Juventus and Real, the vacancies of the participants of the season-2017/2018 season are already largely filled.
In England everything is clear only with the two members of the Champions League - Chelsea and Tottenham not only have already secured their seats in the group round, but also guaranteed to occupy the first and second lines in the Premier League standings. The remaining two tickets are claimed by three: Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal. The Reds outperform their competitors by one and four points respectively, but Jurgen Klopp's wards only had to play one match, while the Gorozhans and the Gunners had one more game in reserve.
Oh, yes, there is also Manchester United, which can increase the English quota to five teams if it wins the Europa League.
Everything is crystal clear in Spain, France and Italy. But if the Pyrenees and France already know that Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico, as well as Monaco with PSG start with the group round, and Seville, like the debutant of the tournament Nice, - with qualification, then in the Apennines with this problem so far. Juventus, Roma and Napoli can both be directly in the group, and guarantee their own selection.
In Germany, everything is clear only with the champion - Bayern. But Leipzig, who secured the second place, may not be admitted to the Champions League at all, as the company Red Bull, who owns the vice-champion of Germany, is also the master of the Austrian champion - Salzburg. UEFA rules prohibit teams belonging to the same owner from playing in the same Euro-tournament, and finally this issue will be decided by the European Football Union only in the next month.
If the decision is not in favor of Leipzig, then Borussia D and Hoffenheim will receive direct tickets to the group stage, and the qualification starts with the team taking the fifth place - Hertha, Freiburg or Cologne.
As for the situation outside the Top 5 European leagues, they already guaranteed themselves seats in the group round Shakhtar (Ukraine), Benfica and Porto (Portugal), Feyenoord (Netherlands) and Basel (Switzerland).
It is known that from the round of the playoffs will begin their campaign for the trophy of the Champions League Sevilla and Sporting (Portugal), with the third qualifying round - Dynamo (Ukraine), Nice, Ajax (Netherlands), Olympiacos (Greece), Vitorul and Steaua (Romania ), Young Boys (Switzerland), from the second - RB Salzburg (Austria), APOEL (Cyprus), BATE (Belarus), Malmo (Sweden), Rosenborg (Norway), Hapoel BH (Israel), Copenhagen (Denmark), Celtic (Scotland), Karabakh (Azerbaijan), Astana (Kazakhstan), Ludogorets (Bulgaria), Maribor (Slovenia), Zilina (Slovakia), Samtredia (Georgia), Hafnarfjo (Iceland), Marienhamn (Finland), Vardar (Macedonia), Dundalk (Ireland), Spartak Yu (Latvia), Zalgiris (Lithuania), and from the very beginning Linfield (Northern Ireland), Infonet (Estonia), Vikingur Faroes), Hibernians (Malta), TNS (Wales), Santa Coloma (Andorra) and Trepca 89 (Kosovo).
For the remaining vacancies there is still a fierce struggle.