Five Premier League clubs have secured direct progression to the Champions League round of 16 after finishing in the top eight of the league phase table. Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester City all avoided the knockout play-off round, sparing them an extra two-legged tie in an already congested fixture list.
Newcastle United could join them if they overcome Qarabag in their play-off tie in February. The Magpies are the only English side still needing to navigate the preliminary stage to reach the last 16.
This is the second year of the revamped Champions League format, and last season Paris Saint-Germain demonstrated that progressing through the play-offs can still lead to continental success, as they went on to win the competition.
The five direct qualifiers will be relieved to skip two additional matches, with the Premier League's strength underlined by having so many teams advance automatically in the competition's new structure.
