UEFA Champions League, Matchday 5: Liverpool in a hole, Arsenal still have hope

The Champions League knockout stage has been set, and now the qualified teams will await Monday’s draw, when they’ll discover their fate. A number of the groups went down to the wire, with about half the spots not being locked down until Tuesday and Wednesday’s games.

Juventus narrowly held onto their spot with a draw on Tuesday, while Basel did enough at Anfield to knock out Liverpool and clinch Group B’s second slot. Monaco beat Zenit to clinch their place on the final day, while Group D’s two knockout stage representatives were determined before the last day.

The breakthrough for Real Madrid came 10 minutes before the break and was due in large part to Karim Benzema. The Frenchman got himself free down the left, worked his way past a defender and then drew the Basel defense before crossing for Ronaldo to tap in.

In the end, Real Madrid were good enough to take all three points and keep their spot atop the group. They’re going to win the group and get a favorable spot in the knockout stage draw, but they will have to play better than they did in Switzerland.

On the 5th matchday of the UEFA Champions League group stage, all of the spotlight is on England, and not for good reasons.

Chelsea may be cruising at the top of their group, but this competition hasn’t been kind to the other Premier League teams. Arsenal need to beat Borussia Dortmund to keep their chances of winning Group D alive, Liverpool need a result away to Ludogorets to feel good about their chances of advancing, and nothing but a win will do for Manchester City as they take on Bayern Munich. It’s looking increasingly likely that the Citizens might finish last in Group E and get knocked out of Europe altogether.

For most of the remainder of the first period, Ludogorets remained in the ascendency. Their bright attacking play enabled them to force Liverpool deep into their own half, while the visitors’ centre-backs struggled to deal with the Bulgarians’ direct passes.

Even so, Ludogorets failed to convert their promise into a second goal, and were made to pay with just over five minutes of the half remaining, when Raheem Sterling surged forward on the counter-attack and laid on a delicious pass for Jordan Henderson to tap home and give Liverpool the advantage.

Jeez, Coutinho. The match has turned boring, but not that boring.

And won’t you think of the children. Or the TV networks that are showing this before 10 p.m.

And let that be a lesson to you, kids -- learn what color shirts your team is wearing and pass the ball to them.

It’s a hard thing to figure out, but you’ll probably be better off for it and won’t embarrass yourself on global television/that girl you like so much that you give her wet willies.

Zenit St. Petersburg are in excellent position in the UEFA Champions League, while Benfica are headed out after the Russian side’s 1-0 win on Wednesday.

Julio Cesar was forced into action early, and he didn’t do a great job dealing with a vicious sixth minute free kick by Hulk. He fumbled the ball, causing a huge scramble in the box, but Zenit couldn’t capitalize and Cesar eventually reclaimed.

Ludogrets are without their first-choice striker Roman Bxzjak, leaving head coach Georgi Dermendzhiev to hand Virgi Misidjan the start up top. The only other change in the Bulgarian side’s lineup is at fullback where Yordan Minev replaces Brayan Angulo.

Ludogorets (4-2-3-1): Vladislav Stoyanov; Yordan Minev, Cosim Moti, Georgi Terziev, Júnior Caicara; Svetoslav Dyakov, Fábio Espinho; Mihail Alexandrov, Marcelinho, Dani Abalo; Virgil Misidjan.

Thanks to a pair of expected losses to Real Madrid and a less expected loss to FC Basel, Liverpool are in a tough spot in UEFA Champions League. They go away to Ludogorets on Wednesday (2:45 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 2), and it’s possible that a loss or a draw could see them eliminated from the competition.

Even though Liverpool have three points, they’re yet to turn in a good performance in Champions League. Ludogorets were excellent at Anfield in the return fixture, but gave away a penalty in stoppage time, allowing Liverpool to get the win.

A top seed for the UEFA Cham[pions League knockout stage is locked up for Real Madrid, but their Wednesday opponents, FC Basel (2:45 p.m. ET, FOX Sports regional), have a lot left to play for. They’re three points ahead of Liverpool and Ludogorets, and they’ll be in total control going into the final day if they can draw.

Unfortunately for American viewers, this is not one of the games that was sublicensed to ESPN, so the only ways to watch this game online are through FOX. If you are a TV subscriber to a FOX Sports regional network, you can catch the game for free on FOX Sports Go. If that’s not an option for you, the game is also available on FOX Soccer 2 Go, a paid service that doesn’t require a TV subscription.

Arsenal are in a tough spot both domestically and in Europe, and their downturn might have started in September, when they traveled to Germany. Borussia Dortmund were excellent on that day, sealing the win that has them in control of their own Champions League destiny. On Wednesday, those two sides meet again (2:45 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1).

If you’re in the United States, the easiest way to watch will probably be through FOX’s services. The game is on FOX Sports 1, so it’s free on FOX Sports Go if you have a TV subscription to that channel. There’s also FOX Soccer 2 Go, a paid service that doesn’t require a TV subscription.

These two teams represent a strange dichotomy of club football. Both Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund have been extremely successful in the Champions League this season, with Dortmund having already secured qualification thanks to winning all four of their group stage matches so far. Arsenal haven’t been much worse off, with seven points after four matches, standing five points clear of third-place Anderlecht, and needing just two points to guarantee a spot in the knockout rounds.

Key player - Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)

Italian champions Juventus haven’t exactly enjoyed a perfect continental campaign this season, having been beaten by both Olympiacos and Atlético Madrid in their first four Champions League group games. That’s left them down in third place heading into the fifth matchday, when they will be looking to record a victory away at bottom club Malmö. Failure to win in this match could have disastrous consequences for the bianconeri -- particularly if Olympiacos pick up points against Atléti in the other game.

Key player - Carlos Tevez (Juventus)

Basel head into the fifth Champions League matchday on course to advance into the knockout phase of the tournament, though two tough fixtures against Real Madrid and Liverpool mean they can’t rest on their three-point advantage over the latter. They’d do their chances of progressing a world of good by pulling off an upset against the Madrilenians on Wednesday -- even if that means just picking up a point.

However, even with home advantage the odds are stacked against the Swiss side. They were beaten 5-1 in the reverse fixture, with Carlo Ancelotti’s reigning European Cup champions having racked up four straight victories in the group stages so far. Heading into this match, it’s hard to see them failing to continue their hot streak against Paulo Sousa’s outfit.

When Anderlecht and Galatasaray were drawn into the same group as Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal, they immediately faced long odds to make the Champions League knockout stages. Since then, nothing has changed. BVB raced to the top of the group and have clinched advancement, while Arsenal sit in second place and look likely to advance as well.

That leaves Anderlecht and Galatasaray with two last gasps to keep their dreams alive. The first comes on Wednesday, the two teams meet and the winner may still have a chance to advance, while the loser will be eliminated.

Diego Simeone and Atlético Madrid have a simple mission on Wednesday: Payback Olympiakos for their match day one defeat and secure a place in the knockout round. A win by Atléti over the Greek side would accomplish that mission and considering Olympiakos have never won in Spain, they have to be feeling a little bit confident.

Atléti will also be confident because of their excellent recent form. After a rough start to the season that saw the Colchoneros stumble in both the league and Champions League, Simeone’s side have turned it around, getting back in the title race and surging to the top of Group A. Since their 3-2 loss to Olympiakos, Atléti haven’t conceded a goal in group play and have taken maximum points from the last three games.

Liverpool travel to Bulgaria on Wednesday, where they’ll face Ludogorets, with whom they’re currently tied for last. The two sides both have three points in Group B, but a win for either could put them even with Basel. With both teams seemingly capable of catching the Swiss side and moving on to the next round, we should be in for a wide open game.

Lodogorets injuries and suspensions

While many expected Bayer Leverkusen to advance from Group C when the initial Champions League draw as made, few gave Monaco a chance after their sold off their best players during the summer. Now with two match days left, we find both Leverkusen and Monaco in the two top spots in the group, though things remain very tight in the race for second.

Leverkusen are in solid shape with nine points and four point lead over Monaco but if they were to slip up on Wednesday, the entire complexion of the group could change. On the flip side, a win for the Germans means they’ll top the group.

Group C has become an interesting and fun set of clubs as we head in to the final two matchdays of the group stage. German side Bayer Leverkusen are out in front with nine points, but they have yet to secure qualification because their opponents later on Wednesday, AS Monaco, are only four points behind them. Right on Monaco’s heels are the two teams facing off today, Russian power Zenit St. Petersburg and defending Portuguese champions Benfca.

These two sides are tied at four points apiece in the group, meaning that today’s match has potentially huge implications as to the final standings of the group. Either side could vault their way up to the second qualification spot with a win today if Monaco fail to beat Leverkusen. In the reverse of this fixture, at Benfica in September, Zenit won 2-0; can they repeat that achievement, or can Benfica also play road spoiler?

Remember that time that Arsenal was winning a Champions League match, 3-0, and lost? It was last matchday, which Chelsea were very aware of when they tweeted this.

[fire emoji]

Agüero made a nuisance of himself in the 20th minute, breaking free behind the Bayern defense and forcing a rash and clumsy challenge from Mehdi Benatia just inside the 18-yard box. The referee took a moment to confer with his assistant before pointing at the spot, awarding City a penalty. In addition, he showed Benatia a straight red card for a denial of goal scoring opportunity.

Just when it looked like City were doomed to suffer yet another defeat, Xabi Alonso made a risky pass that was intercepted in the midfield by Stevan Jovetić. The midfielder touched the ball down out of the air, directing it towards Agüero who raced forward and beat Neuer to his left, hitting the ball off the inside of the post.

For most of the match, Messi played on the right, while Suarez operated through the center. It worked wonderfully on a number of occasions, and their 17th minute combination that featured Messi beating two men before setting up Suarez for a shot was a sign of things to come, even if it was saved.

Messi’s first and record-breaking goal came in the 38th minute. Rafinha will be credited with the assist, though he wasn’t trying to pass. He took a shot and Messi, realizing it was a tame one headed right for the keeper, redirected the ball into the back of the net.

Schalke managed to see off the early Chelsea barrage, but never threatened themselves. They were made to pay just short of the half-hour, when some slick play in the final third culminated in Willian lashing the ball inside Fährmann’s near post, with the goalkeeper not exactly covering himself in glory.

Fortunately, their performance did improve once things resumed in the second period, though they still rarely offered anything to bother Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Indeed, it was the Premier League side that looked more likely to score, and with just under 15 minutes remaining, they iced the cake with two goals in as many minutes.