First placed Bayern Munich will play host to second placed SSC Napoli in a crucial Group A clash on Wednesday night.
Napoli are two points behind group leading Bayern, but only one point ahead of third placed Manchester City.
City will be looking to keep up the pressure on the group leaders with a win when they travel to face last placed Villarreal.
Group B leaders Inter Milan will play host to Lille, while CSKA Moscow will travel to face Trabzonspor with both teams tied for second place.
Group C leaders Benfica will play host to third placed FC Basel. Manchester United are second in the group standings, and will play host to Otelul Galati.
Group D leaders Real Madrid will travel to face Olympique Lyonnais. Ajax are tied for second place in the group with Lyon, and will play host to Dinamo Zagreb.
Manchester United will look to take a step towards qualification for the last 16 with a home win over Otelul Galati on Wednesday night.
Second placed United are two points behind Group C leading SL Benfica, while pointless Otelul sit bottom of the group standings.
There is no danger of United showing any complacency against Galati, with Sir Alex Ferguson this week stating “we need to win, that’s for sure.”
Ferguson has confirmed that Rio Ferdinand will start in the heart of the United defense, while Brazilian fullback Rafael Da Silva is also expected to feature.
Ferdinand has been heavily criticized of late but Ferguson does not believe the veteran center back’s days at United are coming to an end despite his age. “Rio’s 33 now and has clearly lost a yard of pace compared to five years ago. So even though in the past he may have relied on that pace, there’s no reason why he can’t tailor his game and be absolutely fine.”
Chris Smalling, Ashley Young and Tom Cleverley are all ruled out with injury for United, while Darron Gibson and Ryan Giggs are also sidelined.
England striker Wayne Rooney will lead the United attack, and scored two penalties during the 2-0 matchday three win for United over Otelul in Bucharest.
Ioan Filp and Adrian Salageanu are both expected to play for Otelul, while Laurentiu Bus and Daniel Chavez are ruled out.
Romanian forward Marius Pena will lead the Otelul attack, and scored the club’s only goal of the tournament so far during the 2-1 opening defeat at FC Basel.
Trabzonspor will play host to CSKA Moscow in a high stakes UEFA Champions League Group B encounter on Wednesday night.
Trabzonspor and CSKA are tied for second place in the group and currently sit two points behind first placed Inter Milan. The winner of this game will give themselves the inside track on qualification to the knockout stages.
Trabzonspor coach Senol Gunes will be hoping for a better performance from his team, after losing 3-0 in Moscow during matchday three. “Tomorrow will be a historic night for Trabzonspor and we want to send CSKA home with no points,” Gunes told the official UEFA website.
Ivory Coast Seydou Doumbia scored twice during the 3-0 matchday three victory for CSKA, and will lead their attack again in Turkey. Doumbia is in excellent form having scored four goals in three Champions League games so far this season.
Igor Akinfeev and Keisuke Honda remain sidelined with injury for CSKA, while Mark Gonzalez and Tomas Necid are also sidelined. Georgi Schennikov, Viktor Vasin and Kirill Nababkin are fit again and will be available for Moscow.
First placed Bayern Munich will play host to second placed SSC Napoli in a crucial Group A clash on Wednesday night.
Napoli are two points behind group leading Bayern, but only one point ahead of third placed Manchester City.
Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes will have his side prepared and was this week full of respect for his Italian opponents.
“Napoli are not a normal Italian side,” Heynckes told the official UEFA website. “I saw their last league game at Catania and they played just the same way they played against us (during a 1-1 draw in matchday three). They are very disciplined and above all very aggressive; they run a lot and that makes them difficult opponents.”
German international striker Mario Gomez will be Bayern’s chief attacking threat, and the in-form striker has netted two goals in three UEFA Champions League games so far this season.
Arjen Robben and Breno are sidelined with injury for Bayern, while Daniel Van Buyten and Bastian Schweinsteiger are expected to shake off minor injuries in time to play.
Walter Gargano, Goran Pandev and Marco Donadel are all carrying injuries for Napoli and will be unable to play.
Edinson Cavani will lead the Napoli attack and has scored two goals in three games so far during this tournament.
Manchester City will be looking to boost their Group A qualification hopes when they travel to face Villarreal CF.
Third placed City are one point behind SSC Napoli, while last placed Villarreal are still looking to pick up their first point.
Villarreal coach Juan Carlos Garrido is under no illusions as to the size of is team’s task, and stated this week that his team must play “the match of our lives” to pick up three points against Roberto Mancini’s men.
Cani is an injury absentee for Villarreal, the Spanish midfielder scored his club’s only goal of the group stages in the 2-1 matchday three defeat at City.
Italy international striker Giuseppe Rossi is ruled out for Villarreal, while Christian Zapata, Nilmar, Marcos Senna and Marco Ruben also feature on a brutal injury list for the Yellow Submarine.
City’s only health problem could be the selection headache suffered by Roberto Mancini as he decides which of his star studded squad to pick. “We have no injury problems at all,” the Italian manager told the official UEFA website.
Olympique Lyonnais will be looking to take a step towards qualification when they play host to Group D leaders Real Madrid.
Real currently hold a five point lead at the top of the Group D table, while Lyon are tied with AFC Ajax for second place in the group.
Lyon coach Remi Garde is insisting his team is confident despite being beaten 4-0 by Real at the Bernabeu during matchday three.
“We are well aware of how important this game is,” Garde told the official UEFA website. "A defeat would put us in a very difficult position but we never go into a game thinking we could lose.”
Michel Bastos and Clement Grenier are ruled out with injury for Lyon, while Jeremy Pied and Lisandro are also sidelined. Aly Cissokho and John Mensah are injury doubts for the French club and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Real can guarantee their progress to the last 16 with three points, and Jose Mourinho assured fans this week that his team would “strive for victory.”
Raul Albiol has returned to full fitness for Madrid, while Marcelo and Kaka are sidelined with injury. Alvaro Arbeloa and Ricardo Carvalho are also ruled out and did not make the trip to France.
SL Benfica and FC Basel will go head to head in a high stakes Group C encounter in Portugal.
Benfica hold a two point lead at the top of Group C, while third placed Basel are three points behind them.
Benfica can seal qualification for the knockout rounds with a victory in this game, while their Swiss opponents can move level with the Portuguese club on points if they pick up a win.
Javi Garcia and Enzo Perez are injury absentees for Benfica, while left-back Emerson is suspended. Joint leading goal scorer Oscar Cardozo is struggling with a back injury and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Influential striker Marco Streller is ruled out with illness for Basel, while Valentin Stocker, Gilles Yapi and Kay Voser are also sidelined.
AFC Ajax can make an important step towards qualifying for the knockout stages with a home win over Dinamo Zagreb.
Ajax are currently tied for second place in Group D with Olympique Lyonnais, while pointless Zagreb are bottom of the group.
Lorenzo Ebecilio and Aras Ozbiliz have returned to full fitness for Ajax, while Miralem Sulejmani could also be back in the starting lineup. Nicolai Boilesen, Thlani Serero and Kolbeinn Sigthorssonis are ruled out with injury for the Dutch champions.
Zagreb suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Ajax in Amsterdam during matchday three, and will be looking to reverse that result here.
Tonel and Mehmed Alispahic are ruled out with injury for Zagreb, while Mathias Chago and Igor Biscan are also sidelined. Sime Vrsaljko and Arijan Ademi have recovered from injury for Dinamo and will be pushing for selection.
Group B leaders Inter Milan will play host to Lille at the San Siro on Wednesday night.
Inter currently hold a two point lead at the top of the Group B table, while last placed Lille are four points further back and need a win or draw to revive their hopes of qualification.
Inter manager Claudio Ranieri has selection problems with Brazilian pair Maicon and Julio Cesar definitely sidelined. Walter Samuel, Coutinho and Thiago Matta are also struggling with injury and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Giampaolo Pazzini will lead the attack for Inter, and the Italian striker has scored two goals in his three Champions League games so far this season.
Senegal striker Moussa Sow has scored two goals so far in this season’s competition, and will lead the Lille attack. England international midfielder Joe Cole will also play and will be an important figure as Lille look to achieve a positive result at the San Siro.
Tulio De Melo and Laurent Bonnart have returned to full fitness for Lille, while Aurelien Chedjou is ruled out with a thigh problem. Marko Basa and Florent Balmont are injury doubts for the French club and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
City will be looking to keep up the pressure on the group leaders with a win when they travel to face last placed Villarreal.
Group B leaders Inter Milan will play host to Lille, while CSKA Moscow will travel to face Trabzonspor with both teams tied for second place.
Group C leaders Benfica will play host to third placed FC Basel. Manchester United are second in the group standings, and will play host to Otelul Galati.
Group D leaders Real Madrid will travel to face Olympique Lyonnais. Ajax are tied for second place in the group with Lyon, and will play host to Dinamo Zagreb.
Manchester United will look to take a step towards qualification for the last 16 with a home win over Otelul Galati on Wednesday night.
Second placed United are two points behind Group C leading SL Benfica, while pointless Otelul sit bottom of the group standings.
There is no danger of United showing any complacency against Galati, with Sir Alex Ferguson this week stating “we need to win, that’s for sure.”
Ferguson has confirmed that Rio Ferdinand will start in the heart of the United defense, while Brazilian fullback Rafael Da Silva is also expected to feature.
Ferdinand has been heavily criticized of late but Ferguson does not believe the veteran center back’s days at United are coming to an end despite his age. “Rio’s 33 now and has clearly lost a yard of pace compared to five years ago. So even though in the past he may have relied on that pace, there’s no reason why he can’t tailor his game and be absolutely fine.”
Chris Smalling, Ashley Young and Tom Cleverley are all ruled out with injury for United, while Darron Gibson and Ryan Giggs are also sidelined.
England striker Wayne Rooney will lead the United attack, and scored two penalties during the 2-0 matchday three win for United over Otelul in Bucharest.
Ioan Filp and Adrian Salageanu are both expected to play for Otelul, while Laurentiu Bus and Daniel Chavez are ruled out.
Romanian forward Marius Pena will lead the Otelul attack, and scored the club’s only goal of the tournament so far during the 2-1 opening defeat at FC Basel.
Trabzonspor will play host to CSKA Moscow in a high stakes UEFA Champions League Group B encounter on Wednesday night.
Trabzonspor and CSKA are tied for second place in the group and currently sit two points behind first placed Inter Milan. The winner of this game will give themselves the inside track on qualification to the knockout stages.
Trabzonspor coach Senol Gunes will be hoping for a better performance from his team, after losing 3-0 in Moscow during matchday three. “Tomorrow will be a historic night for Trabzonspor and we want to send CSKA home with no points,” Gunes told the official UEFA website.
Ivory Coast Seydou Doumbia scored twice during the 3-0 matchday three victory for CSKA, and will lead their attack again in Turkey. Doumbia is in excellent form having scored four goals in three Champions League games so far this season.
Igor Akinfeev and Keisuke Honda remain sidelined with injury for CSKA, while Mark Gonzalez and Tomas Necid are also sidelined. Georgi Schennikov, Viktor Vasin and Kirill Nababkin are fit again and will be available for Moscow.
First placed Bayern Munich will play host to second placed SSC Napoli in a crucial Group A clash on Wednesday night.
Napoli are two points behind group leading Bayern, but only one point ahead of third placed Manchester City.
Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes will have his side prepared and was this week full of respect for his Italian opponents.
“Napoli are not a normal Italian side,” Heynckes told the official UEFA website. “I saw their last league game at Catania and they played just the same way they played against us (during a 1-1 draw in matchday three). They are very disciplined and above all very aggressive; they run a lot and that makes them difficult opponents.”
German international striker Mario Gomez will be Bayern’s chief attacking threat, and the in-form striker has netted two goals in three UEFA Champions League games so far this season.
Arjen Robben and Breno are sidelined with injury for Bayern, while Daniel Van Buyten and Bastian Schweinsteiger are expected to shake off minor injuries in time to play.
Walter Gargano, Goran Pandev and Marco Donadel are all carrying injuries for Napoli and will be unable to play.
Edinson Cavani will lead the Napoli attack and has scored two goals in three games so far during this tournament.
Manchester City will be looking to boost their Group A qualification hopes when they travel to face Villarreal CF.
Third placed City are one point behind SSC Napoli, while last placed Villarreal are still looking to pick up their first point.
Villarreal coach Juan Carlos Garrido is under no illusions as to the size of is team’s task, and stated this week that his team must play “the match of our lives” to pick up three points against Roberto Mancini’s men.
Cani is an injury absentee for Villarreal, the Spanish midfielder scored his club’s only goal of the group stages in the 2-1 matchday three defeat at City.
Italy international striker Giuseppe Rossi is ruled out for Villarreal, while Christian Zapata, Nilmar, Marcos Senna and Marco Ruben also feature on a brutal injury list for the Yellow Submarine.
City’s only health problem could be the selection headache suffered by Roberto Mancini as he decides which of his star studded squad to pick. “We have no injury problems at all,” the Italian manager told the official UEFA website.
Olympique Lyonnais will be looking to take a step towards qualification when they play host to Group D leaders Real Madrid.
Real currently hold a five point lead at the top of the Group D table, while Lyon are tied with AFC Ajax for second place in the group.
Lyon coach Remi Garde is insisting his team is confident despite being beaten 4-0 by Real at the Bernabeu during matchday three.
“We are well aware of how important this game is,” Garde told the official UEFA website. "A defeat would put us in a very difficult position but we never go into a game thinking we could lose.”
Michel Bastos and Clement Grenier are ruled out with injury for Lyon, while Jeremy Pied and Lisandro are also sidelined. Aly Cissokho and John Mensah are injury doubts for the French club and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Real can guarantee their progress to the last 16 with three points, and Jose Mourinho assured fans this week that his team would “strive for victory.”
Raul Albiol has returned to full fitness for Madrid, while Marcelo and Kaka are sidelined with injury. Alvaro Arbeloa and Ricardo Carvalho are also ruled out and did not make the trip to France.
SL Benfica and FC Basel will go head to head in a high stakes Group C encounter in Portugal.
Benfica hold a two point lead at the top of Group C, while third placed Basel are three points behind them.
Benfica can seal qualification for the knockout rounds with a victory in this game, while their Swiss opponents can move level with the Portuguese club on points if they pick up a win.
Javi Garcia and Enzo Perez are injury absentees for Benfica, while left-back Emerson is suspended. Joint leading goal scorer Oscar Cardozo is struggling with a back injury and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Influential striker Marco Streller is ruled out with illness for Basel, while Valentin Stocker, Gilles Yapi and Kay Voser are also sidelined.
AFC Ajax can make an important step towards qualifying for the knockout stages with a home win over Dinamo Zagreb.
Ajax are currently tied for second place in Group D with Olympique Lyonnais, while pointless Zagreb are bottom of the group.
Lorenzo Ebecilio and Aras Ozbiliz have returned to full fitness for Ajax, while Miralem Sulejmani could also be back in the starting lineup. Nicolai Boilesen, Thlani Serero and Kolbeinn Sigthorssonis are ruled out with injury for the Dutch champions.
Zagreb suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Ajax in Amsterdam during matchday three, and will be looking to reverse that result here.
Tonel and Mehmed Alispahic are ruled out with injury for Zagreb, while Mathias Chago and Igor Biscan are also sidelined. Sime Vrsaljko and Arijan Ademi have recovered from injury for Dinamo and will be pushing for selection.
Group B leaders Inter Milan will play host to Lille at the San Siro on Wednesday night.
Inter currently hold a two point lead at the top of the Group B table, while last placed Lille are four points further back and need a win or draw to revive their hopes of qualification.
Inter manager Claudio Ranieri has selection problems with Brazilian pair Maicon and Julio Cesar definitely sidelined. Walter Samuel, Coutinho and Thiago Matta are also struggling with injury and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Giampaolo Pazzini will lead the attack for Inter, and the Italian striker has scored two goals in his three Champions League games so far this season.
Senegal striker Moussa Sow has scored two goals so far in this season’s competition, and will lead the Lille attack. England international midfielder Joe Cole will also play and will be an important figure as Lille look to achieve a positive result at the San Siro.
Tulio De Melo and Laurent Bonnart have returned to full fitness for Lille, while Aurelien Chedjou is ruled out with a thigh problem. Marko Basa and Florent Balmont are injury doubts for the French club and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
