Ashley Williams
LONDON, England
(TheSportsNEXT) November 19, 2012: With 15 out of 16 qualification spots
available, the top European soccer clubs will give it a full go on Tuesday and
Wednesday night across the continent as fans lick their lips for a
mouthwatering soccer gala.
Manchester United have already booked their last-16 spot in
the UEFA Champions League 2012 while FC Porto and Malaga also did enough to get
close to qualification on Matchday 4 but Group H still has a massive fight
going on for the qualification as Galatasaray, Cluj, and Braga all three have a
valid chance of joining Manchester United in the final 16.
Another big match on Matchday 6 is between defending
champions Chelsea FC and Juventus in Group E as the English soccer giants will
travel to Juventus Stadium in Turin with their last-16 qualification on the
line.
The Group E is also presenting a very confused picture as
only point separates the top three teams and any of them can qualify for the
knock-out stage on the Matchday 6 but as happens in all the major tournaments
in the world one of these two European soccer giants will be knocked out this
week.
Chelsea FC are relatively better placed than Juventus but
they seem to have lost their galore they exhibited early in the season as they
have managed only two points in their last four games in the Barclays English
Premier League.
Juventus on the other hand will have to defeat the reigning
UEFA Champions after they recorded a 2-2 draw in London. If Juventus beat
Chelsea FC then they will have to secure a draw in their final fixture to make
sure they book their ticket to Shakhtar Donetsk. However, the Italian soccer
giants have also struggled for goals dearly this season as the Serie A leaders were
held for a goalless draw with Lazio this weekend.
Both the teams will have to find a way of scoring goals as
this is where they will have to rise to the occasion. Chelsea FC have a good
news as they will have Juan Mata and Oscar both back in the squad after Roberto
Di Matteo rested the duo on Saturday’s EPL action while Belgian striker Eden
Hazard has found some form as he struck a brilliant goal against West Bromwich
Albion.
The other top game in the Group E on November 20, 2012 (Tuesday)
is between Shakhtar Donetsk and Nordsjaelland where the Ukranian side has
recently tasted defeat in their local championship after registering 15
victories on the trot. Shakhtar Donetsk are clear favorites against
Nordsjaelland who are still looking for their first victory in the UEFA
Champions League.
Interestingly enough, Nordsjaelland could still qualify into
the last-16 stage if they record their first victory at the UEFA Champions
League and then Chelsea FC defeat Juventus.
Group F will have two matches to be played on Tuesday where
BATE Borisov will be up against Lille and the tough Valencia will take on the
mighty Bayern Munich.
Valencia need a victory over Bayern Munich to book them a
place in the last-16 round and even a draw would be enough if BATE Borisov are
held by Lille to a draw.
On the other hand, Bayern Munich are in dire need of a
victory in Spain and with BATE Borisov becoming the Belarusian soccer champions
for seventh straight season on November 11 things are looking positive for the
German giants.
Group G is another complicated group where Benfica are
pitted against Celtic and Spartak Moscow will be up against FC Barcelona on
Tuesday night.
FC Barcelona probably are the best-placed team in the Group
G as all they require is a draw to qualify into the next stage of the UEFA
Champions League 2012. Even a loss can’t hurt their chances but in that case
they will have to rely on the result in the other match. Celtic, who defeated
FC Barcelona in their last outing, also are in good position to qualify as a
draw would suffice for them to join Barca in the last-16 stage if they score at
least a goal and Barca don’t get defeated.
As far as Benfica are concerned, they are trailing the
Celtic by three points and they must record a victory to stay in the hunt
before their final round-robin clash against FC Barcelona.
Group H has one spot to be filled as Manchester United have
already secured their berth in the final-16. The Red Devils will take on
Galatasaray while Cluj will take on Braga on Tuesday night with all the three
teams staying in the race to the knockouts.
Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League action also promises great
thrill and euphoria for the soccer fans across the globe where FC Porto will
take on Dinamo Zagreb and Dynamo Kiev will be up against Paris Saint-Germain in
the Group A.
In Group B, Arsenal FC will be playing against Montpellier
while Schalke 04 and Olympiakos will battle it out in the second game on
Wednesday night.
Arsenal FC will have to defeat Montpellier to keep their
chances alive in the competition while Schalke 04 are the best-placed side at
the moment as they need only a draw to proceed.
The two matches in the Group C are Zenit Saint Petersburg vs
Malaga and Anderlecht vs AC Milan where Malaga are almost certain to finish on
top of the table but the rest of the three sides will still battle it out to
stay in the hunt.
The Group D matches include Ajax vs Borussia Dortmund and Manchester
City vs Real Madrid where Borussia Dortmund, who are leading the group, need
only a draw to qualify while Real Madrid will join them if they beat Manchester
City and Ajax don’t triumph.
It is important to mention here that the Manchester City
have won the last three home matches against Real Madrid and it will be a tough
task for Cristiano Ronaldo and company to achieve a victory there.
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