Champions League Group Stage: Four-Game Review

Pep Guardiola's side are always assured of a top seed in the round of 16.

We are two thirds of the way through through the Champions League group stage and Alex Johnson rounds up where all the clubs are.

Six sides have qualified for the Champions League Group Stages after four games while three already know they cannot reach the last 16.

There are two German teams, two Spanish sides, one French and one Portuguese team who have already confirmed their progression from the group stages with two games spare. Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Porto are booked in for the knockout phase, with Bayern already confirmed as the winner of Group E after goals from Franck Ribery and Mario Gotze secured a 2-0 win over AS Roma.

Round four of games saw Lionel Messi move level with Raul as the Champions League's all-time top scorer. He scored his 70th and 71st goals in the competition as Barcelona beat Ajax 2-0 to retain second place in Group F behind PSG. The French side sit top of the group after beating Apoel 1-0 and it is now a straight shootout between the two teams to see who can secure top spot. Both Ajax and and Apoel are now unable to reach the last 16 and will battle for third place and Europa League qualification.

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Cristiano Ronaldo did have the opportunity to also match Raul's total 24 hours before Messi did, but he failed to find the back of the net against Liverpool. Madrid however beat the English team 1-0 at the Bernabeu courtesy of a Karim Benzema strike to maintain their 100% record in the competition. Second behind Madrid in Group B are Basel after their convincing 4-0 win over Ludogorets and the Swiss side hold a three-point advantage over both Liverpool and Ludogrets. Basel face Madrid next, while Liverpool take on Ludogorets and that could set up a tantalising last-game shootout to find out who follows Madrid through in Group B.

Bayern Munich are the only side confirmed as group winners after four games as a 2-0 win over Roma opened up an eight-point advantage for Pep Guardiola's men. There was a shock in the other group game as CSKA Moscow won 2-1 away at Manchester City, who had both Fernandinho and Yaya Toure sent off. Two goals from Seydou Doumbia ensured Moscow are level with Roma on four points after a famous win, while the English champions are rock bottom of Group E with only two points and not a win to their name yet in the group.

Borussia Dortmund are through from Group D and sit top of the pile after a comfortable 4-1 victory over Galatasaray in round four. Arsenal occupy second spot in the group but missed the chance to book their place in the knockout stages due to a miraculous comeback from Anderlecht. The Gunners had led 3-0, but the Belgian side fought back fantastically in the final half an hour and scored three goals of their own to salvage a draw. Despite that set-back, Arsenal still look in pole position to join Dortmund in progressing as they have seven points, while Anderlecht and Galatasaray lag some way behind with two and one points respectively.

The final side confirmed to progress are Porto in Group H, who booked their top-two berth with a 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao. Goals from Jackson Martinez and Yacine Brahimi not only secured the Portuguese side's progression, but also ensured Bilbao cannot progress into the last 16. Shakhtar Donetsk sit second in Group H - two points behind Porto - after a second 5-0 thrashing of BATE Borisov. Luiz Adriano bagged a hat-trick to add to the one he got in the previous game against BATE to become only the third player to score two hat-tricks in a Champions League campaign - and the first to ever score successive hat-tricks in the competition. It looks likely that Porto and Shakhtar are destined to joust for top spot, with BATE lagging five points behind second-placed Shakhtar with two games left.

There are three groups where all remains to play for at this point. In Group A it is Atletico Madrid who occupy top spot after four games following a 2-0 win at Malmo. They sit three points clear of Olympiakos - who they face in matchday five - after the Greeks succumbed to a 3-2 defeat at Juventus. That result means Olympiakos and Juventus are level on six points after four games. The Italians will hope Atletico can do them a favour next time out against Olympiakos, providing they can beat Malmo, to put them in a strong position. Malmo are still in with a chance of qualifying, but it looks a long shot as they are currently bottom on three points.

Group C leaders Bayer Leverkusen are four points clear at the top and look to have a strong hold on the group. A 2-1 win away at Zenit St Petersburg in round four ensured a good cushion over second-place Monaco with two games left. The French side now only have a one-point advantage over Zenit after a late goal from Talisca was enough to secure a 1-0 win for Benfica. That victory puts Benfica back in the fight as they are level with Zenit on four points, with the two teams set to do battle in round five.

Chelsea are top of Group G but were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw against Maribor. A stunner from Agim Ibraimi had put the Slovenians ahead until Nemanja Matic equalised, but then Chelsea squandered a chance to take all three points when Eden Hazard missed a late penalty. The Blues still have a three-point lead over second-placed Schalke, who hold onto second despite losing 4-2 to Sporting Lisbon. That was the first win of the group for the Portuguese side and they close the gap on Schalke to only one point, while Maribor are only one point further behind.