adminReal Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Chelsea and Porto can qualify for the Uefa Champions League round of 16 with two games to spare.
Today
Group A
Malmo FF v Atletico Madrid
Qualifiers included, Malmö have not conceded a goal at home in 360 minutes in this season’s Uefa Champions League – a run including the qualifying round games against FK Ventspils (0-0), AC Sparta Praha (2-0) and FC Salzburg (3-0).
Juventus v Olympiacos
Juventus beat Olympiacos 7-0 in Turin when the clubs last met in the Uefa Champions League group stage, on 10 December 2003. It was the Bianconeri’s joint-biggest win in Europe and Olympiacos’s heaviest loss.
Group B
Basle 1893 v Ludogorets Razgrad
Last season Ludogorets put together a run of four straight away victories in the Uefa Europa League – beating PSV Eindhoven (2-0), FC Chornomorets Odesa (1-0), GNK Dinamo Zagreb (2-1) and SS Lazio (1-0) – but since then have gone five matches without a win on their travels.
Real Madrid v Liverpool
The holders are unbeaten in 18 Uefa Champions League matches on home soil – winning 16 – dating back to April 2011. A victory will guarantee their progress to the knockout stage.
Group C
Zenit v Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Zenit have lost four of their seven home games against German sides, the most recent the 4-2 reverse against Borussia Dortmund which meant they exited last season’s competition in the round of 16, 5-4 on aggregate.
Benfica v AS Monaco
Benfica concluded last season’s group campaign by beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in Lisbon through Nicolás Gaitán and a Lima penalty, although they could still only finish third in their section. They had lost 3-0 away on matchday two.
Group D
Arsenal FC v RSC Anderlecht
Matchday three was Anderlecht’s seventh defeat in eight encounters with English opponents – they had lost six in a row before drawing 1-1 at home to Tottenham Hotspur FC in the 2007/08 Uefa Cup group stage.
Borussia Dortmund v Galatasaray
Dortmund will secure a round of 16 place if they complete the double over Galatasaray, having won 4-0 in Istanbul on matchday three. Cimbom have lost their last four Uefa Champions League away games, and five of the past six.
Tomorrow
Group E
Bayern Munich v AS Roma
Bayern’s 7-1 dismantling of Roma on matchday three was their biggest away victory in Uefa competition. For Roma, it was the heaviest home loss and joint-biggest defeat in their European history. The German side will be through if they win again.
Manchester City v CSKA Moscow
City beat CSKA 5-2 at home on November 5 last year – the same date as this season’s meeting.
Group F
Ajax v Barcelona
Barcelona will qualify for the last 16 if they win and Apoel FC fail to beat Paris Saint-Germain in the section’s other game. Ajax, meanwhile, need at least a point to retain any real hope of qualifying.
Paris Saint-Germain v Apoel
The Ligue 1 side’s 1-0 victory at Apoel last time out kept them top of the section and another victory would guarantee qualification should Ajax fail to beat Barcelona.
Group G
Sporting v Schalke
Sporting’s 1-0 home win against Hertha BSC Berlin in the 2009/10 Uefa Europa League group stage was their first against German opponents, at the 17th attempt. They subsequently lost the away game in Berlin, also 1-0, and overall their record against German sides is W1 D5 L13 (W1 D4 L4 at home).
NK Maribor v Chelsea
Maribor suffered their first defeat in nine games in this season’s competition when they lost 6-0 at Stamford Bridge on October 21, Agim Ibraimi missing a second-half penalty to add to their woes.
Group H
Shakhtar Donetsk v BATE Borisov
Luiz Adriano completed a hat-trick inside 13 minutes – and in the process became Shakhtar’s all-time top scorer on 117 goals – when the Pitmen put seven without reply past BATE on matchday three.
Athletic Club v FC Porto
The Bilbao side have yet to keep a clean sheet against a Portuguese club; in nine previous fixtures they have conceded 14 goals. — Supersport
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