Leading clubs have chances to secure early round-of-16 berths
Eleven teams will start the fourth set of Champions League Group Stage fixtures with a chance to seal a place in the round-of-16 with two games to spare.
A look at the possible permutations ahead of this week’s matches.
In Group A, Manchester United (9 points) takes on Benfica (0 points) on Tuesday, while Basel (6 points) takes on CSKA Moscow (3 points)
United will qualify if it wins at home CSKA fails to beat Basel. The Red Devils will also advance to the round-of-16 if they draw and CSKA loses.
Basel will advance with a win against CSKA if United avoids a defeat.
In Group B: Paris Saint Germain (9 points) hosts Anderlecht (0 points), while Celtic (3 points) entertains Bayern Munich (6 points)
PSG will qualify if it wins and Celtic fails to beat Bayern. The Parisians are also through if they draw and Celtic loses its match against the German Bundersliga champion.
Bayern can secure a round-of-16 spot with a win on Tuesday if PSG avoids defeat.
In Group C: Roma (5 points) will be visited by Chelsea (7 points) as Atletico Madrid (2 points) hosts Qarabag (1 point)
Antonio Conte’s Chelsea will qualify with a victory at Roma.
In Group D: Barcelona (9 points) travels to Olympiakos (0 points), while Sporting Lisbon (3 points) clashes with Juventus (6 points)
Barca will reach the last-16 if it wins and Juventus avoids defeat at Sporting. The Spanish side will also qualify if it draws and Sporting loses.
Juventus will secure a round-of-16 berth with a win if Barcelona avoids a defeat.
On Wednesday night, in Group E Liverpool (5 points) hosts Maribor (1 point) and Spartak Moscow (5 points) visits Sevilla (4 points).
Maribor will be out of the qualifying race if it loses and Spartak wins.
In Group F, Napoli (3 points) takes on Manchester City (9 points) as Shakhtar Donetsk (6 points) hosts Feyenoord (0 points), with City securing advancement it avoids defeat.
In Group G, Monaco (one points) visits redhot Besiktas (9 points), while RB Leipzig (4 points) travels to Porto (3 points)
Besiktas will be through to last-16 with a victory, or with a draw if Leipzig wins on the road at Porto.
Finally, in Group H, Tottenham Hotspur (7 points) hosts Real Madrid (7 points) and Borusssia Dortmund (1 point) hosts APOEL (1 point), with the winner between Spurs and Real at Wembley guaranteeing last-16 qualification. EARLIER THIS month, Barcelona star Lionel Messi (front) became the second player to score 100 career goals in UEFA club competition, joining Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo (back). This week, both players will try to lead their respective teams into the Champions League round-of-16.
Conte hoping Kante will be fit
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says that he hopes to be able to select midfielder N’Golo Kante for Tuesday’s clash against Roma.
Kante picked up a hamstring injury on international duty with France earlier this month and has missed Chelsea’s previous five matches, including the 3-3 draw at home to Roma 11 days ago.
Chelsea sits top of Group C with seven points and can guarantee a place in the last-16 with a win in the Italian capital, but Conte said he will not risk Kante if the influential Frenchman is not fully fit.
“He could be ready,” the Italian told a news conference. “I know very well the importance of this player. I want to be sure he is ready. I hope to have him in this game, but I prefer to not take this type of risk. If he is ready, he plays.”
The draw with Roma at Stamford Bridge came after back-to-back Premier League defeats that have left the defending champions nine points adrift of table toppers Manchester City.
Subsequent wins in the league against Watford and Bournemouth and a League Cup triumph over Everton have stabilized Chelsea’s form, providing what Conte admitted was a necessary boost to his players’ morale.
“A win was very important to give continuity to the win against Watford, and Everton in the League Cup, and now to prepare in the best way possible way for Roma.”
Alvaro Morata is expected to start on Tuesday, despite going four games without a goal since returning from a hamstring injury sustained in the home defeat to Manchester City last month.
Lukaku criticism baffles Mourinho
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has asked club fans to support striker Romelu Lukaku, saying the Belgium international has been subjected to unfair criticism.
After scoring seven goals in as many league games, Lukaku has not scored in the following three matches and his fading goal-scoring exploits along with his underwhelming record in big games has been criticized.
Mourinho reckoned Lukaku deserved more support after an assist in each of his last two league games, the most recent of which led to the winning goal in last Saturday’s 1-0 victory over third-placed Tottenham.
“I would like the supporters to explain to me why they don’t support him so much because he gives everything and I think it is not fair when scoring the goal or not scoring the goal he makes the whole difference,” said Mourinho.
“I don’t think it is fair at all. So, I’m a bit disappointed – but not with him. With him I am very pleased.”
Mourinho’s decision to withdraw Marcus Rashford, rather than Lukaku, for Anthony Martial in the 70th minute against Spurs attracted loud boos from the Old Trafford faithful.
The Portuguese boss responded to critics by holding a finger to his lips after the final whistle but was puzzled by the fans’ dissent.
Mourinho said defender Marcos Rojo was likely to return from his long-term knee injury after the November international break but set no return date for midfielder Paul Pogba, who injured his hamstring last month.
United trails local rival Manchester City by five points at the top of the league table and hosts Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday, followed by a league trip to fourthplace Chelsea on Sunday. (Reuters)