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The UEFA Champions League group stage concludes on 7 and 8 December with the final round of matches and while 12 teams have booked their passage to the round of 16, there are still four places up for grabs – two in Group H where FC Shakhtar Donetsk, Arsenal CF and SC Braga remain unsure of their fate. In five groups there is also third position to play for and, with it, the accompanying ticket to the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League.

UEFA.com runs the rule over each section; Groups A-D end on Tuesday and Groups E-H the following day with the round of 16 draw on 17 December.

Group A
The only unanswered question is whether group stage debutants Tottenham Hotspur FC can secure top spot ahead of holders FC Internazionale Milano. Both have qualified and Spurs' superiority in head-to-head goal difference means they will advance in first place provided they do not secure fewer points at FC Twente than Inter achieve at SV Werder Bremen. Even if Bremen catch third-placed Twente on five points, the Dutch side's four points from the head-to-head meetings guarantees them third place.

Group B
FC Schalke 04 and Olympique Lyonnais are assured of qualification with the German side a point ahead. To overhaul the leaders, Lyon must beat Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC and hope Schalke fail to win at SL Benfica; if Lyon draw level on ten points with Schalke, the German team will stay top because of head-to-head superiority. Third-placed Benfica, on six points, cannot overtake Lyon due to the French club's superior head-to-head goal difference, so their objective is a UEFA Europa League place. A victory against Schalke would confirm that but any other result would give Hapoel the opportunity to leapfrog them by recording a first-ever UEFA Champions League away win at Lyon.

Group C
The only matter at stake is whether Manchester United FC or Valencia CF finish first. The Spanish side, three points behind, will usurp United at the top with victory at Old Trafford, though to achieve that they must become the first team to score against Sir Alex Ferguson's team in Europe this term. Rangers FC are assured of third as they visit Bursapor, who will seek their first points in the competition.

Group D
FC Barcelona have qualified in pole position and Panathinaikos FC are consigned to fourth, meaning the sole issue to resolve is who takes second place. FC København have seven points to FC Rubin Kazan's six and will progress so long as they do not secure fewer points at home to Panathinaikos than Rubin manage at Barcelona. Rubin, who triumphed 2-1 at the Camp Nou last season, would finish ahead of FCK on overall goal difference if they draw and the Danish champions lose as their head-to-head record is level.

Group E
The identity of the top and bottom teams is known – FC Bayern München's head-to-head goal difference with AS Roma means the second-placed side cannot surpass them, and likewise CFR 1907 Cluj cannot overtake FC Basel 1893 in third. Hence all the interest is on the runners-up spot. With a three-point advantage over Basel, Roma – on nine points – hold the initiative as they visit CFR knowing a draw will secure progress. Basel, by contrast, must win at Bayern and hope Roma lose – in which case they would overhaul them via superior head-to-head goal difference.

Group F
The standings were set in stone on Matchday 5. Olympique de Marseille's 3-0 success at FC Spartak Moskva, who had beaten them 1-0 in France, took them three points ahead of the Russian side and confirmed second place behind Chelsea FC, who clinched first place by beating MŠK Žilina 2-1. The Slovakian side will aim for a first point against UEFA Europa League-bound Spartak while Marseille play Chelsea.

Group G
Real Madrid CF and AC Milan have made first and second places their own which leaves AFC Ajax and AJ Auxerre to vie for UEFA Europa League entry. Ajax lead the French team by a point so will stay third provided they secure as many points at Milan than Auxerre manage from their trip to Madrid. If Ajax lose and Auxerre draw, the clubs will be level on points and, given their identical head-to-head record, Auxerre will advance on goal difference.

Group H
The only section where both last-16 tickets remain available: Shakhtar, who need a point to guarantee reaching the knockout stages for the first time, sit three points clear of both Arsenal and newcomers Braga, with the Gunners second on head-to-head. A three-way tie at the summit is possible should leaders Shakhtar lose at home to Braga and second-placed Arsenal beat point-less FK Partizan in London.

In that event the first determining factor would not apply: the trio would all hold equal points from the head-to-heads between themselves, so qualification would come down to goal difference in the matches between the three, then away goals scored in them (Arsenal would almost certainly come top in that reckoning and Braga would need to beat Shakhtar by four to come second). In two-way head-to-head, Arsenal have superiority over both Shakhtar and Braga. On Matchday 2 Shakhtar won 3-0 at Braga so to finish top the Portuguese debutants must better that scoreline and hope Arsenal do not win, in which case they would need a four-goal success to pip the Ukrainian side.