There are four matches remaining in the 2019/20 Premier League International Cup group stages, but the race is hotting up for the eight spots in the knockout round.
The winners of the six groups qualify for the quarter-finals, along with the two teams finishing second with the best records. So, nearly half the 24 teams have a chance of making the last eight.
Arsenal, Benfica and Derby County are already through to the last eight as guaranteed winners of groups A, C and F respectively, but there is everything still to play for.
Group A
Arsenal have secured their place as group winners after winning all three of their matches.
Leicester City and Dinamo Zagreb, who both have three points from two matches, will meet on 27 January and could grab one of the two best runners-up places with a victory.
Group B
Wolfsburg need only avoid defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday, or a heavy defeat, to win the group.
Group D
Everton could leap from the bottom to win the group if they beat leaders Swansea City by three goals or more on Monday.
Group E
Wolverhampton Wanderers host Liverpool on Wednesday in a winner-takes-all tie, although if it is a draw the Reds will be one of three teams on four points.
How to determine ranks
If two or more clubs in the same group, or finishing second in different groups, have the same number of points, the following criteria shall be applied to determine their positions in the group table or to decide which team go through as one of two best runners-up. These criteria are in ascending order of application.
The club finishing higher will be:
- the club with the higher goal difference
- the club who scored more goals
- the result from the match between the two clubs in question
- the team with the lower disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards received across all group matches
If, after having applied these criteria, two or more clubs still have an equal ranking, the Premier League Board shall determine the method by which they shall be separated.
