Manchester United vs. Benfica
When the draw for the group stages was made towards the end of August, these were the two teams most observers expected to be fighting it out for qualification. United, having had a recent run of underwhelming performances coupled with some poor results, appear to have rediscovered some better form following successive wins against Swansea and Spurs. Despite the lack of goals in recent games, they remain solid defensively, having conceded only one goal at home in all competitions thus far this season.
Benfica, meanwhile, have been hugely disappointing in both domestic and European competition. They have lost all three of their group games thus far, including a 5-0 humbling at the hands of FC Basel in Switzerland. Their defensive frailties will be exacerbated by the fact that they will be missing two of their first choice defenders due to suspension, meaning that they face a daunting task at Old Trafford.
Prediction: Expect Manchester United to record a fairly routine win, which will be enough to guarantee qualification from the group. Man Utd 3-0 Benfica
Action from the previous match between United and Benfica
FC Basel vs. CSKA Moscow
Group A surprise package Basel come into this crucial game on the back of a good run of form. They are unbeaten in their last eight games, with victories in six of those. After losing their opening group game 3-0 against Manchester United, they have responded well with back to back victories, including a very impressive performance against Benfica. They will be full of confidence coming into this fixture, having beaten the Russians 2-0 on their home turf in the last round of matches.
In contrast, CSKA’s form could scarcely be worse. They have lost four of their last eight games, and failed to find the back of the night in six of those. It could be a difficult night for them in Switzerland.
Prediction: A repeat of the scoreline in the reverse fixture. FC Basel 2-0 CSKA Moscow
Celtic vs. Bayern Munich
Celtic come into this game in a rather strange situation. They have just equalled their club record by remaining unbeaten for a staggering 62 domestic games, winning 56 of those. Despite this impressive feat, they have not been at their best this season, having dropped points on three separate occasions in domestic competition. In Europe, they have suffered heavy defeats at the hands of both PSG and Bayern, although a win against Anderlecht means that they stand a good chance of securing third spot in the group, which would secure qualification for the Europa League.
Bayern have hardly been at their best either. A series of shaky performances and bad results, including a 3-0 beating at the hands of PSG, saw manager Carlo Ancellotti sacked. His replacement, Bayern favourite Jupp Heynckes, has steadied the ship, and Bayern have recorded four wins in their last six games.
Prediction: Celtic will come roaring out of the blocks, roared on by the crowd at Celtic Park, but their lack of genuine quality will see them struggle to score against a defensively strong Bayern team. The Germans should run out comfortable winners. Celtic 0-2 Bayern Munich
Celtic will be hoping for a better outcome this time around
PSG vs. Anderlecht
Given the amount of money that they spent in the close season, it is hardly surprising that PSG have dominated most of their opponents thus far this season. They have been victorious in 13 of the 15 games they have played. High scoring victories against Celtic and Anderlecht barely raised an eyebrow. Less expected, though, was the degree to which they outclassed stronger opposition; a 3-0 victory against Bayern Munich did nit flatter the French team, and reality the margin of victory could have been even greater.
While PSG are scoring goals for fun, Anderlecht have found the Champions League to be a stern test. They have suffered heavy defeats in their opening three games, conceding ten goals and scoring none, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the table.
Prediction: A win for PSG would guarantee qualification for the next round. They should have this game wrapped up before half time. PSG 4-0 Anderlecht
Atletico Madrid vs. Qarabag
Given their excellent performances in Europe over the past few seasons, Atletico were expected to finish top of their (admittedly tricky) group. Things have not gone to plan. Two goalless draws away to Roma and Qarabag, coupled with defeat at home to Chelsea, sees them sitting in third place in the group, three points behind second placed Roma. Their overall form is poor, with only one win in their last seven games. Diego Simeone’s men will know that they need a victory if they want to stand any chance of qualifying from the group.
Qarabag have put in a couple of creditable performances already this season, holding Atletico to a stalemate and losing narrowly at home to Roma. Their only away game so far did not go so well, and they were on the receiving end of a 6-0 thrashing at Chelsea, and they will be looking to avoid a similar result against their Spanish opponents.
Prediction: Atletico know that anything less than a win could mean an early end to their participation in the Champions League. They should win, but they have found goals hard to come by of late, so the margin of victory may not be as big as some may expect. Atletico 2-0 Qarabag
Another high-scoring draw expected
Roma vs. Chelsea
When Roma travelled to Stamford Bridge a few weeks ago, it resulted in a hugely entertaining match. Chelsea ran into an early two-goal led, but were pegged back by a Roma side who eventually found themselves in front. Eden Hazard’s late leveller rescued a point for the London side, as the game ended 3-3. Since that game, Roma have tightened up their leaky defence, but at the expense of their attacking threat, having recorded three consecutive 1-0 victories. They will be keen to secure a fourth win in a row, which would see them go top of the group.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have continued to feature in games featuring plenty of goals, including a 4-2 win over Watford. They have kept only five clean sheets all season, and their 15 games have seen more than 50 goals scored in total. With three wins out of three since the home game against the Italians, they too will be looking for victory.
Prediction: Chelsea have been scoring lots of goals this season, but they don’t look as solid at the back as they did last season. Roma striker Edin Dzeko had a field day against them last time, and we could see a repeat performance. Roma 2-2 Chelsea
Olympiacos vs. Barcelona
The Greek champions were always going to find it tough in this group, being drawn alongside Barcelona, Juventus and Sporting. While they have predictably lost all of their games thus far, they can hold their heads high – they have put up a fight in all of their games, and haven’t lost by more than two goals.
That being said, they face a Barcelona side who are in seriously impressive form. Since losing to arch rivals Real Madrid in the season opener, they have won 13 of their last 14 matches. In addition to the goal scoring exploits of talisman Lionel Messi, the Catalans have developed a strong defensive platform, keeping clean sheets in 8 of those 14 games. A win in Greece will all but guarantee that they qualify from their group.
Prediction: Olympiacos will strive to keep the score down, but Barcelona should secure all three points without too much effort. Olympiacos 0-2 Barcelona
A lot at stake in the Sporting v Juventus match
Sporting Lisbon vs. Juventus
Given the pedigree of their group rivals, Sporting were expected to finish safely in third place in the group – they would drop out of the Champions League, but with the consolation prize of Europa League football. And that expectation looks set to come to fruition. A victory against Olympiacos in their opening fixture was followed by defeats to the two big teams in the group, leaving them sitting in third place behind the big two. The nature of these defeats, however, may give the Portuguese some cause for optimism. Both games were close affairs, with the margin of defeat a single goal on each occasion. Sporting will be hoping to pull off an upset against their more illustrious opponents.
Juventus, for their part, may just be susceptible to such an upset. Recent performances suggest they may be a team on the decline. Their dominance of the Italian league may be under threat – they have dropped points twice already in the league and trail early pacesetters Napoli by three points. Their miserly defence also seems to be creaking. They have only kept a clean sheet once in their seven games on the road this season, and they were humbled by a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at the hands of Barcelona earlier in the completion.
Prediction: Sporting managed to grab a goal in Italy, and will be confident of doing so again against an increasingly leaky Juventus defence. But can they stop the Italian champions from scoring? Sporting 1-1 Juventus
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