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The group stage of the Champions League has reached its midpoint, with several teams securing a place in the last-16 knockout rounds. However, others are facing a difficult challenge in their remaining two matches.
From now on, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings can quickly change from being exciting to being stressful. The outcomes of other matches can also affect whether teams will need a win while playing away, or if there could be a surprise upset in one of their toughest games.
We will examine the actions required by the four Premier League teams (Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Newcastle United) to advance in their groups, or the ones that have already secured their spot – along with other top teams in Europe.
After securing a victory in the fourth matchday, Bayern Munich is currently leading and has secured their spot in the next stage of the competition.
However, there is still a chance for those behind them to make a play.
After a chaotic loss to FC Copenhagen on MD4, Man United find themselves at the bottom of the standings. In order to advance, they will likely need to win against Galatasaray in their next match, since their final game is against Bayern. Both Copenhagen and Galatasaray currently have four points, while United only has three, making the final match between Copenhagen and Galatasaray on MD6 potentially crucial. However, if United wins both of their remaining matches, they will secure a spot in the next round unless Copenhagen defeats both Bayern and Galatasaray.
Although Arsenal currently holds the top spot, they have not yet secured their spot in the last-16 after defeating Sevilla in a typical manner. With a four-point lead, they are on track to achieve this goal, and a victory against Lens in their next match will solidify their position.
Both PSV and Lens have accumulated five points, while Sevilla has two, creating a competition for second place. On Matchday 6, Arsenal will face PSV away, giving them the opportunity to secure their position if they struggle against the French team.
At this point, the group appears to be fairly settled. Real Madrid currently holds the top spot with a perfect record of four wins out of four. Napoli is in second place, trailing by five points. Braga has only secured one win and Union Berlin has only earned one point, meaning they are still vying for a spot in the Europa League at the very least.
The group is almost completed. The first place still needs to be determined, but Real Sociedad and Inter Milan have already secured spots in the final 16 with both teams having ten points.
Salzburg has earned three points while Benfica has yet to score any; they will face each other in the sixth matchday.
Celtic gained one point at their home game against Atletico Madrid during MD3, but a severe defeat in the following match has greatly diminished their chances of participating in European football in the upcoming year. In order to have a chance, Celtic must win their remaining two games and rely on Feyenoord losing both of theirs. Otherwise, they will finish in last place.
Atleti currently holds the top spot, followed by Lazio only one point behind and Feyenoord trailing by one more point in third place. Therefore, the matches between the Spanish team and their two opponents will determine the top two positions.
Newcastle United, currently in last place after four matchdays, are facing a difficult challenge as they try to catch up to the top-ranked Borussia Dortmund, with only a three-point difference separating them. This group is the most competitive out of all four.
The German team has achieved consecutive victories against the Magpies, putting pressure on Eddie Howe’s team to defeat both AC Milan and PSG in order to advance. The upcoming match between Milan and Dortmund in MD5 will likely determine which team moves forward. PSG also has their own challenges and must secure a win against Newcastle at home to increase their chances of advancing.
Man City has had a smooth journey thus far, securing their spot in the last 16. RB Leipzig has also advanced, leaving only the top spot to battle for. Red Star and Young Boys have each earned only one point in MD4.
Porto and Barcelona are currently the leading teams, both having won three out of four games. However, Shakhtar’s unexpected victory over the Spanish club on matchday four puts them in contention, only three points behind in third place. Unfortunately, Antwerp has been eliminated from the competition after suffering four consecutive losses.
Source: independent.co.uk
