Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Sevilla and Barcelona intend to secure their presence in the knockout stages of the Champions League, which returns this week, on the fourth day of the group stage.
With two dates in advance, the current champion, three English and two Spanish clubs can now ensure their continuity in the next leg of the tournament.
The date, however, is especially relevant for others such as Real Madrid or Inter, who face each other with the margin of error reduced and under the threat of elimination.
An ugly panorama in which Paris Saint Germain is also found. The runners-up have conceded two defeats in the first three games and are on the sidelines of the top two places in their group, behind Manchester United and Leipzig.
The appointment of San Siro on Wednesday is key for two teams called to animate the tournament and who now bid for survival. The Italian team, which recovers the Belgian Romelu Lukaku from the Madrid match, has not yet won in the Champions League. Accumulate two draws and one defeat, suffered against the white team in Valdebebas.
Real Madrid is not doing much better, which has only one victory after its resounding setback against Shakhtar and the draw in Germany against Borussia Monchengladbach, current leaders of Group B, which receives the Ukrainian representative on Wednesday. The two white trips came without Sergio Ramos in his eleven. The captain will not be in Milan after the injury with the national team in the Nations League. Still, with nine points at stake, nothing is decided in this quartet.
Nor in Group H, now dominated by Manchester United and Leipzig and where Paris Saint Germain is without margin for error. The French champions have a key match on Tuesday, when they host Leipzig in the Parc des Princes, with three more points in the standings.
Manchester United host Istanbul Basaksehir, who gave the surprise on the previous date by beating the English representative in Turkey and adding a historic triumph for the debutants in the tournament.
Without so many hardships, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Sevilla and Barcelona go through the group stage, trying to tie up their goal and reserve a place in the second round.
Barcelona, with full of triumphs in the competition but touched by the defeat in Wanda against Atlético Madrid, visit Kiev to face Dinamo, who prevailed at the Camp Nou with difficulties at the end. The victory ensures the classification. The draw can also serve Ronald Koeman’s team if Juventus beat Ferencvaros in Turin, which they thrashed a few weeks ago.
Sevilla and Chelsea can leave Group E sentenced in the absence of configuring the order of positions. Both dominate the situation with six points of income compared to Krasnodar and Stade Rennes. You can both stamp the pass. The Spanish team visits Russia and the English representative goes to France.
Bayern is another of the teams with full power. The champion, who last year won the title after winning in all the matches, extends his win ratio. You can certify your stay in the round of 16 if you beat Salzburg, the last of the quartet.
Atlético Madrid, for its part, can leave the journey to the next round on track. Not mathematically, but in a practical way if he prevails in the Metropolitan Wanda to Lokomotiv Moscow, with which he tied in Russia.
Manchester City travel to Greece to face Olympiacos and secure their goal. The Spanish team Pep Guardiola, who has won all three of his matches, can almost leave the Hellenic representative out of the playoffs.
Oporto, second with three points less than English, and who visit Marseille, the great disappointment of the competition and one of the two teams that have not yet scored, are on the lookout.
The other team that has not scored any points is the Danish Midtjylland, which closes Group D where Liverpool leads. Jürgen Klopp’s team welcomes Atalanta, which still aspires to qualification just like Ajax, which awaits the Danish champion in Amsterdam.
Borussia Dortmund, Lazio and Club Brujas extend the bid for the two places in Group F, which is left out of Zenit Saint Petersburg. The German team leads the situation and receives Club Brugge, third two points behind Dortmund and one from Lazio, second, who awaits Zenit in Rome.
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