Halfway through the group stage, a first trend emerges as to the identity of the sixteen teams qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League. In a season with close matches, the World Cup in autumn obliges, the ax will fall quickly: the 6th and last day of the groups will take place on November 2. Some teams could even say goodbye to the C1 from the fourth day, Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 October. Franceinfo: sport takes stock.
They could validate their qualification this week
For several big fish, this chicken phase is a formality. Manchester City, author of a full box in Group G, needs a victory in Copenhagen. This is also the case for Real Madrid (in Donetsk) and Bayern Munich (in Plzen). Napoli, tube of the fall, can also validate their ticket by beating Ajax, an opponent washed out in the first leg (6-1). More surprisingly, Club Brugge is also on the verge of qualification with three victories. A success on the lawn of Atlético would send the Belgians to the eighth, a first since 1989.
As for Paris Saint-Germain, the equation has two unknowns. The capital club must beat Benfica on Tuesday, and count on a misstep from Juventus in Haifa, to already validate its ticket. With the same number of points as PSG (7) in this group H, the Lisbon club is in a similar situation.
For them, everything remains to be played
Swept away from Naples, Liverpool recovered in Group A. But with 6 points, 3 more than Ajax, the Reds must win at Rangers.
Last in Group D but revived by their victory against Sporting, OM are in the game before their trip to Lisbon. The four teams in this pool, also made up of Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham, are held to three points.
It’s even tighter in Group E, where two points separate leaders RB Salzburg from bottom-placed Dinamo Zagreb. Chelsea and Milan, interspersed and battling on Tuesday evening, have no room for error.
Watch out, the exit is near
Two gondola heads are on the edge of the precipice. Already eliminated in pools last year, FC Barcelona is in a precarious situation in group C with three small points. Defeated by Bayern and Inter, the Blaugranas will have to secure against these two opponents at the Camp Nou not to head for the exit. A defeat when the Lombards come on Wednesday, combined with a success for the Bavarians, would condemn them to elimination.
In an even more uncomfortable situation, Juventus is four units behind the PSG-Benfica tandem. Anything other than a win in Haifa would keep the purring Bianconeri out of the knockout stages.
With just one point (and as many goals scored) in Group G, Sevilla FC, which no longer has its destiny in its hands, is condemned to win in Dortmund… and on the lawn of Manchester City while counting on a misstep from his two rivals. The challenge is huge for Jorge Sampaoli, the new Andalusian coach.