Anthony Gordon in action for Newcastle against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek Jean Catuffe/ The climax of the Champions League’s league stage was so outrageously dramatic that everything that had come before it quickly faded into irrelevance.

The UEFA Champions League league phase reached its climax in thrilling fashion, with drama in the races for the eighth and 24th places.

The draw for the next round of the Champions League takes place on Friday. Here's everything you need to know.

Eight teams are through to the round of 16: Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting CP and Manchester City. The teams that finished between ninth and 24th await Friday's play-off draw. The event will stream live on UEFA's official site at 6 a.m. ET.

Last season’s league phase felt relatively exciting because two of the favourites — Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain — struggled to reach the knockout stage. But this was surely an anomaly: it owed little to the competition’s setup, and the switch to eight matches rather than six offers less chance of surprises.

The league phase of the Champions League is over, culminating with a dramatic Matchday 8. Who was the best and worst in this stage of the competition?

Pundits Stephen Warnock, Nedum Onuoha and Julien Laurens join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Wednesday's dramatic league phase finale in the Champions League.

Barcelona conceded again on Wednesday night against FC Copenhagen, meaning they have now failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 11 Champions League matches. Copenhagen joined PSG, Newcastle, Club Brugge, Slavia Prague, Eintracht Frankfurt, Chelsea and Olympiakos in finding the back of Barca’s net in European competition this season.

ESPN breaks down how their could be five teams in next year's Champions League

It's difficult to know quite what will happen next with the Blues, but if you take things at face value, they are into the UCL last 16 and are the third-best English team in the competition based on their Premier League placing. That certainly helps in Power Ranking terms.

GENEVA (AP) — Top English soccer clubs are profiting even more this season from prize money in the Champions League. Six English teams entered this Champions League edition — a record for one country — and after Wednesday's final round of opening-phase games five go direct to the round of 16 having placed in the top eight of the 36-team standings.