Time zone: US/Eastern | Register | Login
Search:

Champions League: What Day 6 means to the doomed, the safe and the unsecured

Angela Asante, December 7 2011,
There are seven more places at stake in the UEFA Champions League. Which teams will qualify from the group stages of the competition to reach the Last 16?

The 2011/12 UEFA Champions League. The doomed, the safe and the unsecured.

Related Content:
UEFA Champions League
Related Articles: Manchester United, Chelsea, Valencia, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich
The doomed teams

Group A’s Villarreal, Group C’s Otelul Galati, Group D’s Dinamo Zagreb, Group E’s Genk and Group G’s Shakhtar Donetsk will have absolutely nothing to defend but their pride on Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League. The dream of reaching the Round of 16 and the option of playing in the UEFA Europa League are two things which do not exist anymore for those teams.

However, their involvement in Tuesday and Wednesday’s Champions League night could torment the remaining contenders. In Group A, for example, Villarreal could favor Manchester City by spoiling Napoli’s golden chance of progressing.

 

Otelul Galati, meanwhile, could influence Manchester United, FC Basel and Benfica’s fight for the top spot in Group C. The same prospect applies to Genk and Shakhtar Donetsk in Group E and Group G respectively.

The safe teams

Bayern Munich, Internazionale, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Barcelona are under no harm. They could lose by any margin on Matchday 6 but their status as group winners cannot change. Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen, surprise package APOEL FC and AC Milan have also booked their Last 16 tickets.

However, some of them will have a reason to fight hard on Matchday 6 as everyone wants to avoid the runners-up spot. Note that the Rossoneri have nothing more to lose or gain in the group stages as Barcelona have already sealed the table's top position.

The unsecured teams

Thanks to the system of the competition, it is not a disaster to finish third in a group. The UEFA Europa League is there as a consolation.

However, big clubs like Chelsea, Manchester City, FC Porto and billionaires Manchester City definitely don’t want to be demoted from the UEFA Champions League to the UEFA Europa League. Their desire to remain in the continent’s biggest club championship should infuse drama and energy in Tuesday and Wednesday night’s matches.

There are 18 teams with hopes hanging between the UEFA Champions League’s Round of 16 zone and the Europa League’s Round of 32 section. Seven places are at stake for the Last 16 of the Champions League, eight UEFA Europa League tickets are available and three teams will be doomed with a total exit from the 2011/12 European season.

Quick recap and analysis of each group ahead of Matchday 6

In Group A, Napoli and Manchester City have two options. One of these two challengers will qualify as runners-up behind Bayern Munich. The other will be demoted to the UEFA Europa League. Should Manchester City fail to defeat Bayern Munich, Napoli will automatically win Round of 16 tickets.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: GROUP A 2011/2012
1   Bayern München 5 4 1 0 11 4 +7 13
2 Napoli 5 2 2 1 8 6 +2 8
3 Manchester City 5 2 1 2 7 6 +1 7
4   Villarreal 5 0 0 5 2 12 -10 0

 

In Group B, things are very tight between Trabzonspor, Lille and CSKA Moscow. As much as the prospect of reaching the knockout stages or the Europa League exists, any of these three teams could suffer the fate of finishing fourth.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: GROUP B 2011/2012
1   Internazionale 5 3 1 1 7 5 +2 10
2 Trabzonspor 5 1 3 1 3 5 -2 6
3 Lille 5 1 2 2 6 6 +0 5
4 CSKA Moskva 5 1 2 2 7 7 +0 5

 

In Group C, Manchester United are facing an unusual challenge. Of course, the Red Devils have the upper hand as a draw against FC Basel would see them through to the Last 16. However, Manchester United suffered a real scare in the first leg of this fixture. Knowing that they held Fergie’s men to a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford, who knows what Basel are capable of doing?

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: GROUP C 2011/2012
1 Benfica 5 2 3 0 7 4 +3 9
2 Manchester United 5 2 3 0 10 6 +4 9
3   Basel 5 2 2 1 9 9 +0 8
4   Oţelul Galaţi 5 0 0 5 3 10 -7 0

 

In Group D, Olympique Lyon should hope for Real Madrid to hand them a favor by defeating Ajax in Holland. Lyon are poised to triumph over Dinamo Zagreb, but their efforts to reach the Round of 16 won’t count if Ajax avoid a loss against Real Madrid. The worst thing for Les Gones is that Ajax could still afford to lose all three points but remain safe based on goal difference. Should the public expect Group D’s matches to produce rains of goals on Wednesday night?

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: GROUP D 2011/2012
1   Real Madrid 5 5 0 0 16 2 +14 15
2   Ajax 5 2 2 1 6 3 +3 8
3   Olympique Lyon 5 1 2 2 2 6 -4 5
4   Dinamo Zagreb 5 0 0 5 2 15 -13 0

 

Chelsea may possess the home advantage against Valencia, but they’ll still be under a lot of pressure. The Blues know that failing to score would mean failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League Last 16.  Chelsea vs Valencia will indeed be like a final.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: GROUP E 2011/2012
1 Bayer Leverkusen 5 3 0 2 7 7 +0 9
2 Chelsea 5 2 2 1 10 4 +6 8
3   Valencia 5 2 2 1 12 4 +8 8
4   Genk 5 0 2 3 1 15 -14 2

 

Since Arsenal are safe as group winners in Group F, the pressure is on Marseille, Olympiacos and Borussia Dortmund to get the right result. Borussia Dortmund won’t go anywhere if they fail to claim victory against Marseille. Olympiacos, meanwhile, are poised to finish third in the table.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: GROUP F 2011/2012
1   Arsenal 5 3 2 0 6 3 +3 11
2   Olympique Marseille 5 2 1 2 4 2 +2 7
3 Olympiakos Piraeus 5 2 0 3 5 5 +0 6
4 Borussia Dortmund 5 1 1 3 4 9 -5 4

 

In Group G, FC Porto have been left with only one option: to win. The reigning UEFA Europa League champions are craving for a spot in the UEFA Champions League’s Round of 16. The pressure is strictly on the Dragons as Zenit could do with a draw.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: GROUP G 2011/2012
1   APOEL 5 2 3 0 6 4 +2 9
2   Zenit 5 2 2 1 7 5 +2 8
3   FC Porto 5 2 1 2 7 7 +0 7
4   Shakhtar Donetsk 5 0 2 3 4 8 -4 2

 

The fight in Group H is quite different from what other sections present. The Champions League dream for Viktoria Plzen and BATE Borisov is well over. Both teams are expected to lose against AC Milan and Barcelona respectively. Should this prediction materialize, Viktoria will seal their participation in the UEFA Europa League whereas BATE will have to accept a rock-bottom finish.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: GROUP H 2011/2012
1   Barcelona 5 4 1 0 16 4 +12 13
2   Milan 5 2 2 1 9 6 +3 8
3 Viktoria Plzeň 5 1 1 3 2 9 -7 4
4 BATE 5 0 2 3 2 10 -8 2

 

Related Articles

Member Sign In »

Username Password
Forgot Password | Remember
Not a Member Yet? Register Now