Having secured their position as league stage champions, Mikel Arteta's squad was aware that they would be up against one of the teams in the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th positions. Bayer Leverkusen, Olympiacos, Borussia Dortmund, and Atalanta are the opponents they could encounter, a fact confirmed only in the latter phases of Wednesday's matches.

Due to finishing third, Liverpool will meet one of the teams that ended in 13th, 14th, 19th, or 20th. This has been established as one of Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Atletico Madrid, or Juventus.

Tottenham, Newcastle United, Manchester City, and Chelsea all had aspirations of breaking into the top eight to avoid a play-off round, with three of them succeeding. By finishing just behind Liverpool, Thomas Frank's team is lined up to face one of those four previously mentioned teams that Liverpool might play, while Man City will clash with one of Bodo/Glimt, Real Madrid, Inter, or Benfica.

Chelsea appeared set to miss the chance to advance directly to the first knockout phase, but a Joao Pedro double helped them achieve a second-half comeback in Naples. That win allowed them to conclude the league standings in sixth place, meaning they will confront any of Monaco, Qarabag, Newcastle, or Paris Saint-Germain.

Following their draw against Paris Saint-Germain, the Magpies are the sole Premier League team in the play-offs. They wrapped up the league stage in 12th place and will thus face either PSG, Monaco, or Qarabag, with a last-16 match against either Barcelona or Chelsea to follow if they progress.

For Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester City, and Chelsea, this presents a significant advantage with two fewer fixtures to navigate in a packed February. All five will closely monitor those play-off encounters, to be decided in the draw on Friday, to gain insight into the team they will contend with in the last-16.