The return legs in Groups E, F, G and H take place on Wednesday; after this round, the prospects of the teams involved will become clearer.
Group E
FC Basel vs AS Roma
Basel stunned Roma with a fine 3-1 victory at the Stadio Olimpico. The Swiss club moved to the 2nd position in the group after the shock win. They would look to continue with their fine form when they play host to Roma in the return leg. Basel has a good home record against the Roman giants, having won the 2-0 against them in 2009/10 Champions League. Basel’s home record in general has been good, having won 7 out of 9 European games; they are unbeaten at home against Italian opposition.
Pressure has been mounting on Claudio Ranieri in recent times. After having guided Roma to a 2nd place last season, he is struggling this season. A slip-up in this match might bring down the curtains on his side’s European venture. Roma is struggling in Serie A also. Last weekend it got a fresh lease of life as Nicolas Burdisso inspired his team to a 2-0 win over Cagliari. Roma, struggling on the financial front in recent times, can’t afford to miss out on the lucrative knock-out round.
van Gaal is under pressure
CFR Cluj vs Bayern Munich
Sorin Cartu’s team was rather unfortunate to lose the away leg in the Allianz Arena. Two own goals and another deflected strike ensured a 3-2 win for the 4 time UCL winners. Cluj will try to avenge that defeat when they host Luis van Gaal’s men. Bayern defeated Freidburg 4-2 last weekend. However, Ivica Olic’s injury is a set-back for the Bavarians. Bayern has also been rocked by off-field matters. President Uli Hoeness severely criticized van Gaal’s methods; they had to call an emergency meeting to sort out this delicate incident.
Group F
Chelsea vs Spartak Moscow
Chelsea has been in sublime form this season. The English champions are on top of the EPL table with an incredible +24 goal difference. They have finished as group toppers in five of last seven UCL campaigns and look good to do so in this year’s edition as well. They have no injury worries and Carlo Ancelotti can afford to put out his strongest team. Yuri Zhirkov has been particularly impressive for the Londoners in last few matches.
Valery Karpin’s Spartak Moscow finally ended Zenit St Petersburg’s unbeaten run in Russian League. After winning their last 2 games, Spartak has moved back into top-4 of domestic league. The Russian clubs hasn’t won a match in England in eleven years. It’s unlikely that record will change against a Chelsea team who are unbeaten at home in last 21 group matches in UCL.
“Russian Ronaldinho” is finally excelling at Stamford Bridge
MSK Zilina vs Olympic Marseille
Defending French champions Marseille’s campaign got off to a stuttering start this season. They lost both their UCL matches and even struggled in the league. However, Didier Deschamps has turned around the fortunes of his team. Marseille, the only French team to capture UCLso far, registered their first points with a 1-0 win over Zilina in the home leg. Star striker Andre Pierre Gignac’s dismal form will be a major head-ache for Deschamps. Gignac has so far managed to score just a single goal in all competitions. He will also miss the services of midfielder Edouard Cisse. Slovakian champion Zilina has flattered to deceive in their debut season. They have lost all of their matches and are on the verge of elimination.
Chelsea look favourites to qualify from Group F, Spartak and Marseille look destined to fight it out for 2nd place. With Spartak facing an uphill task at Stamford Bridge, Marseille wouldn’t want to drop points in this tie.
Group G
AJ Auxerre vs Ajax Amsterdam
Auxerre and Ajax share a common bond. Both clubs are renowned for their youth academies which have produced numerous star players over the years. Auxerre are yet to win a match in the group stages and will get eliminated if they lose to Martin Jol’s side. Their form in Ligue-1 has been patchy as well, having won just 3 matches so far.
Ajax, four time European Champions, have began their domestic campaign in a similar manner like last season. While they have scored goals for fun, they have failed to capture pole position in the table. They have scored 33 goals in 12 matches. Luis Suarez, one of the most prolific strikers in Europe over last 2 seasons has been eclipsed by Mounir El Hamadaoui. El Hamadaoui has banged 11 goals in 12 Eredivisie games. Ajax’s chance of qualifying to next round hinges on this match. With Real Madrid and Milan in the same group, Ajax can ill-afford to miss out on a win.
Ozil is the new blue eyed boy in Madrid
Milan vs Real Madrid
Real Madrid has an exceptionally poor record at San Siro. Their coach, on the other hand has never lost to Milan on this venue. Real has lost ten times at San Siro, while managing to tie the game thrice. Milan’s fine run of form in Serie A was broken by Juventus. Despite dominating the match, Rossoneri lost 2-1. Coach Allegri cannot afford a similar result in this game as that would hamper Milan’s chances of progressing to next round.
Ronaldinho missed the match against Juventus but he might make a cameo appearance against a club which he had tormented during his tenure in Barcelona. The nine time winners from Madrid are slowly turning into an unstoppable force in La Liga. They have pummelled their opposition in last few games, scoring 19 goals in last four. Cristiano Ronaldo is finally doing justice to his price tag. He has managed to find the back of the net 12 times in 9 Liga matches, while assisting 5 times. Allegri made a tactical error of fielding Gattuso, Seedorf and Pirlo together in the away leg. These 3 veterans slowed down the Milan midfield and exposed the defence to quicksilver wingers – Di Maria and Ronaldo. The Milan gaffer must get his tactics spot on for this match.
Group H
Partizan Belgrade vs Braga
Last week Partizan defeated Red Star Belgrade 1-0 in one of Europe’s most volatile derbies. The Serbians have not managed to win a single game in UCL this season. Their 2-0 loss to Braga on matchday-3 considerably dimmed their chances of progression. They would be banking on a hostile home crowd to win against Braga on Wednesday night.
Braga have made an ordinary start to their domestic campaign. They are currently placed 6th, 11 points behind leaders Porto. Their recent form has been patchy. They have defeated smaller teams but have lost to teams like Benfica and Porto. They carved out a 2-0 win over Partizan in a pretty close match. Another win would bolster their chances of qualification.
Eduardo didnt celebrate his first leg goal against the Gunners
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Arsenal
Since taking over in 2004, Romanian Mircea Lucescu has attained demi-god status in Donetsk. Under him Shakhtar has won 4 Ukrainian titles in last 6 seasons, ending Dynamo Kiyv’s domination. Lucescu’s crowning glory was winning the UEFA Cup in 2008/09 season. His reign also saw Shakhtar construct the gorgeous Donbass Arena – one of Europe’s finest football grounds.
The Ukrainians had a perfect start to the UCL campaign winning both their matches. On matchday-3 they got a reality check as Arsene Wenger’s men destroyed them 5-1 at the Emirates. With 6 points from 3 matches, Shakhtar are still strong favourites to qualify from Group-H. Arsenal had travelled to Donetsk in the 2000/01 season, and lost 3-0 that night. Shakhtar would be hoping for similar outcome in this match.
Arsenal has never won a match in Ukraine while Shakhtar has never lost a home match to an English opponent.
