By james art 
GRAHAM DUNBAR Associated Press
The top-flight Champions League will reach 10 points this week and are likely to secure progression to the knockout stages as the untested 36-team format reaches the midpoint.
Either Liverpool or Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen will have 10 points when they meet at Anfield on Tuesday, when Manchester City can also do so by beating Sporting Lisbon, who are still coached by Ruben Amorim until he joins to Manchester United a week later.
English teams hold the top three spots in the table, with recent European champions Man City and Liverpool eyeing surprise leaders Aston Villa.
Villa, winners of the European Cup since 1982, go for a fourth straight win on Wednesday at Club Brugge.
Far down the table, the two teams with the most titles in the competition’s 70-season history – both when coached by Carlo Ancelotti – meet in Spain.
Record 15-time champions Real Madrid host Milan with seven titles, Tuesday’s clash between the 12th and 25th teams after three of the eight rounds.
The new format sends only the top eight teams directly to the round of 16 in January. Teams finishing 9-16 are seeded in the elimination playoff round in February against teams ranked 17th through 24th. The winners of these matches qualify for the round of 16 in March.
UEFA’s pre-season simulations suggested that just eight points from eight games would be enough to enter the knockout stages.
Still, embarrassing losses so far to Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern have shown how predictions can be reversed.
Unbalanced schedules
All 36 teams were given a balanced slate of opponents, drawing two teams from each of the four seeding judges based on UEFA competition results over the past five years.
However, the schedule can be uneven and Leipzig languish with zero points after losses against three high-profile opponents. Leipzig now play Celtic, from the lower ranked number 3.
Sporting are also a Pot 3 team, giving Man City a third lower opponent in the first half of their schedule.
Liverpool performed excellently despite the fixture list ahead. Leverkusen are their third high-profile opponents, with Real Madrid next up at Anfield on November 27.
Atletico Madrid fell short in 27th place and travel to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, but the three-time beaten finalists have one of the softest schedules ahead.
Sliding doors
Xabi Alonso could be in the home team on Tuesday. Liverpool have offered their former star midfielder, who won the Champions League in the epic final in 2005, the chance to succeed Jurgen Klopp this season.
Alonso opted to stay at Leverkusen and lead the unbeaten Bundesliga champions into the Champions League. Liverpool have turned to Feyenoord’s Arne Slott, who is off to a historically good start with the Premier League leaders.
Ruben Amorim was in action against Manchester City on Tuesday, just weeks after being named as the club’s next manager.
Pep Guardiola’s future plans are unclear as his contract expires next year and Manchester City have already announced that their director of football next season will be Amorim’s current front office boss at Sporting, Hugo Viana.
English dominant
Played 12, won 10, drew two, lost none.
The four English teams have not even conceded a goal since the third minute of the first leg, when AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic scored in Liverpool’s 3-1 win at the San Siro.
The English Premier League is turning financial might in its favour, and this level of results will earn a bonus fifth appearance in next year’s competition.
Man City and Arsenal return to Europe after defeats at the weekend. Guardiola’s side are aiming to avoid a rare third successive defeat against in-form Victor Gokeres at Sporting. The Swedish striker spent five seasons on loan with lower-tier teams in Germany and England before joining Sporting last year.
Arsenal return to Italy to face Inter after opening with a 0-0 draw against Atalanta in nearby Bergamo.
Surprising French
Few saw this coming from the four-team French challenge. Monaco and Brest are unbeaten in fourth and fifth respectively, Lille in the top half of the standings and PSG trailing behind.
Brest face one of their lowest-ranked rivals again when they play Sparta Prague on Wednesday, with games against Real Madrid and Barcelona to come in the second half.
Monaco have already beaten Barcelona and now go to Bologna, who are among the four teams who have not scored a goal so far.
Lille host Juventus on Tuesday at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, where Real Madrid were stunned 1-0 a month ago.