Matchday 6 of the Champions League is coming up, and it is not one to miss. The final games of the group stage will be played this Tuesday and Wednesday. When the dust settles, half of the teams that were in contention for the prestigious trophy at the start will be eliminated. Here’s all the mouthwatering details of what to watch for as teams scramble for survival in the esteemed competition.
Champions League Matchday 6
Group E
Defending champions Liverpool may lead Group, E, and they seem to be the favourites to win the entire tournament again this year, but their dream could all come crashing down with a loss against an in-form RB Salzburg. Erling Braut Haaland is in red hot form, with 27 goals in only 19 games. Having scored in every single one of his Champions League games this season, he doesn’t look ready to slow down, even against a strong Liverpool side.
A win for the Austrian side at home would guarantee their qualification for the last 16. This would put Liverpool on the brink of humiliation, as heavy favourites Napoli would only need a draw at home against inferior Genk to disqualify Liverpool.
Group F
Italian giants Inter Milan are also on the brink of an unexpected exit from Europe. Inter are fighting for a spot Borussia Dortmund, as they are both tied for second in Group F with seven points.
The Italian side have a tough match ahead of them against Spanish champions Barcelona, while Dortmund look to grab easy points against a weak Slavia Praha, who have no wins in the competition.
Inter seem to have the odds stacked against them and could have an unexpected exit.
Group G
All the members of Group G can still qualify on the last day. RB Leipzig have already qualified but are looking for a point to get the top spot. The other teams are just chasing for second place.
Lyon play favourites Leipzig and will have to pull off an upset to qualify. Even if they win, Zenit St Petersberg could spoil the party on goal differential with a big win in their game against Benfica.
In order for Benfica to qualify, some truly amazing things would have to happen: Leipzig would have to beat Lyon and Benfica would have to beat Zenit by a high margin so as to qualify on goal difference.
Group H
Group H is also full of interesting games with Eredivisie champions Ajax, Europa League winners Chelsea, and Copa del Ray victors Valencia all up for contention.
Ajax made it all the way to the semi-finals of the Champions League last year, pulling off upsets against big teams such as Real Madrid and Juventus, so disqualification here would be disappointing. Ajax play Valencia and Chelsea play Lille, the group’s last-placed team.
Group C
Manchester City have dominated Group C, going undefeated in the Champions League, but that will have to change if Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb are going to qualify for the knockout rounds. Manchester City have already clinched first place in the group and so they may rotate their starters. This might provide the opportunity that Zagreb need to make it out of the group stage for the first time in their club’s history.
FC Shakhtar Donetsk play Atalanta in the other game of the group and they are both also in contention.
Group A
The qualification spots in Group A have already been decided. Even though they can’t qualify, Galatasaray and Club Brugge will want to show the world they can compete with big clubs, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. Watch out for these games – they can get interesting.
Group B
Group B has a similar situation with the qualifying spots already decided, but there is one key difference; the two group leaders, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich, will face off. It will be a battle of new managers, Hansi Flick and José Mourinho, trying to establish themselves at their clubs. Red Star Belgrade will face off against Olympiacos in a match that is basically a formality.
Group D
Finally, German side Bayer Leverkusen look to pull off an upset against Italian champions Juventus to qualify over Atletico Madrid. If Leverkusen win and Madrid draw or lose, a big upset will occur. Juventus have already clinched the top spot, so this is a vital battle.
Main Photo
