Though the likes of Real Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal, Milan and Bayern Munich will be in action, UEFA Champions League’s Tuesday return lacks a marquee match-up. Instead of the day’s fixtures providing the drama, it’s the favorites’ domestic form that’s generating much of the conflict heading into Champions League’s fifth match day.
UEFA Champions League Tuesday: Top Shelf Clubs Without Top Shelf Match-Ups
Take Real Madrid, five points clear of Milan in Group G. While their match against Ajax features two of Europe’s most historic clubs, Los Blancos will be heavy favorites when they kick off in Amsterdam. As such, supporters are already looking forward to Monday’s Clasico. The only way the Merengues slip is if they’re overlooking Ajax, dwelling on Barcelona.
Milan comes into Tuesday’s action on a high, now sitting three points clear at the top of the Serie A. Unfortunately, the Rossoneri’s Champions League form has not been as strong. They have one point in their last two matches, a home draw against Real Madrid. Five points back in Group G, Milan will be left fighting for second should Ajax fail to win.
Like Real Madrid, Chelsea and Bayern Munich can also clinch their groups. Both teams sit on a perfect 12 points but come into the fifth round fighting through domestic struggles. Chelsea’s regressed after a strong Premier League start and are now even on points with Manchester United. Bayern Munich would gladly take that kind of misfortune, sitting mid-table in Germany, 14 points behind league-leading Borussia Dortmund.
Unlike Chelsea and Bayern, Arsenal does not have stellar Champions League form to fall back on. The Gunners having stumbled in league, losing at home to rival Tottenham, and are coming off a Champions League loss in Donetsk. That result’s allowed Shakhtar to move even on points at the top of Group H.
Thanks to a huge edge in goal difference (resulting of the tournament’s most prolific attack), Arsenal is still in control of the group. With both clubs closing group stage with matches against Sporting Braga and Partizan, the Gunners may need to win out to finish first.
Arsenal’s match in Braga kicks-off at 2:45 p.m. Eastern, just over two hours after the day’s action starts. With Olympique Marseille visiting Spartak Moscow, Champions League has an early kick-off - 12:30 p.m. Eastern at the Luzhniki.
Group E
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayern Munich | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 12 |
| 2 | Roma | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 6 |
| 3 | Basel | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 3 |
| 4 | CFR Cluj | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 10 | -5 | 3 |
- Roma versus Bayern Munich, Stadio Olimpico, Rome - Since these two teams met in the second round, Roma has surged back into the Serie A race. Catching Bayern is an unreasonable expectation, but if they can get three points from the German champions (who will be missing the likes of Mark van Bommel, Arjen Robben and Holger Badstuber), the Giallorossi can start to shake off Basel and look toward the knock-out round.
- Basel versus CFR Cluj, St. Jakob Park, Basel - The difficulty in shaking off Basel is the tiebreaker, which Basel owns thanks to a superior goal difference in head-to-head matches. The Swiss champions have a chance to make the knock-out stage should Roma stumble, but having already lost in Romania to Cluj, it’s not a certainty Alexander Frei and the rest of FCB can maintain their end of the bargain.
Group F
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | +10 | 12 |
| 2 | Olympique Marseille | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 6 |
| 3 | Spartak Moscow | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 6 |
| 4 | Zilina | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 15 | -14 | 0 |
- Chelsea versus Zilina, Stamford Bridge, London - The Blues’ struggles in league trace back to Frank Lampard’s injury and Michael Essien’s suspension. Lampard is out for two more weeks, but Essien, in the middle of a Premier League suspension, will be available Tuesday. Ironically, this is one of the few matches he will not be needed, with Zilina’s -14 goal difference already equaling the worst total in last year’s tournament.
- Spartak Moscow versus Olympique Marseille, Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow - In round one, Spartak stole three points at the Stade Velodrome, using Cesar Azpulicueta’s own goal to win a match their hosts controlled. As a result, Spartak needs only one point on Tuesday to have a stranglehold on second place. A draw would give Spartak the tiebreaker over Marseille ahead of their final group stage match against Zilina.
Group G
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | -5 | 10 |
| 2 | Milan | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | +0 | 5 |
| 3 | Ajax | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 4 |
| 4 | Auxerre | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 3 |
- Ajax versus Real Madrid, Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam - Ajax was able to get a point from Milan when the Rossoneri visited in September, and with one point clinching the group for Real Madrid, a draw would not be a surprising result. Luis Suárez is suspended in league but will have his teeth sharpened for this one. For Real Madrid, Karim Benzema, Raul Albiol and Lassana Diarra should get starts in place the injured Ricardo Carvalho, Gonzalo Higuain and Sami Khedira.
- Auxerre versus Milan, Stade de l’Abbé Deschamps, Auxerre - In September, Auxerre gave Milan trouble at the San Siro before a late capitulation. A switchin in venue and an uptick in form could be enough to reverse that result. Auxerre comes into this match with a eight match all-competition unbeaten streak, having discovered a surprisingly potent attack. Led by midfielder Benoit Pedretti, AJA has scored 17 goals in those eight matches.
Group H
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 4 | +11 | 9 |
| 2 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 9 |
| 3 | Sporting Braga | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 6 |
| 4 | Partizan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 0 |
- Partizan versus Shakhtar Donetsk, Partizan Stadium, Belgrade - Shakhtar needed a late Darijo Srna direct kick to down Partizan in the reverse fixture, a match that’s proven to be Partizan’s best effort (and Shakhtar’s worst). With Braga unlikely to get a point against Arsenal, a draw by Ukraine’s champions will put them through to the knock-out round. Regardless, Mircea Lucescu says his team will play to win.
- Sporting Braga versus Arsenal, Estadio AXA, Braga - Arsenal opened Sporting Braga’s Champions League history with a 6-0 win at the Emirates. While Portugal’s runners-up have rebounded for six points in three games, they’ve failed to record a point against a team other than Partizan. Having already lost at home 3-0 to Shakhtar, it would take an unforeseen turnaround to keep Braga from being relegated to Europa League.
Picks
| Time(EST) | Home | Visitor | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:30 p.m. | Spartak Moscow | Olympique Marseille | 2-1, Marseille |
| 2:45 p.m. | Roma | Bayern Munich | 3-2, Roma |
| Basel | CFR Cluj | 2-1, Basel | |
| Chelsea | Zilina | 4-0, Chelsea | |
| Ajax | Real Madrid | 1-0, Real Madrid | |
| Auxerre | Milan | 2-1, Auxerre | |
| Partizan | Shaktar Donetzk | 2-0, Shakhtar | |
| Sporting Braga | Arsenal | 3-0, Arsenal |
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