Final Group Games Preview
December 8th 2010 12:55
Link: twitter.com/mattsaltmer
Fourteen of the sixteen places are now taken, for the First Knockout Round of this season's Champions League. With eight matches tonight, the final two places will be claimed. Interestingly from an English perspective, Arsenal are one of the sides yet to secure their spot.
After successive defeats in Braga and Shakhtar, The Gunners must win at home against Partizan Belgrade to move into the next round. Shakhtar host Braga in the group's other match, and if Braga don't match Arsenal's result, then the English side will be through. I'm sure Wenger would have loved to play some younger players tonight, but given the money involved, he simply can not risk not making the last 16. I'm certain given the remaining fixtures in the group tonight, that Arsenal will make it through, but will have to settle for 2nd place.
No such worries for Chelsea. Five wins from five means that they will definitely top their group, so expect to see a youthful line up away against Marseille. The domestic slump the London side find themselves in must be soul destroying, so this may well be a nice distraction. With all four positions in this group already wrapped up, it is the least meaningful group to watch tonight as a neutral. Spartak Moscow face Zilina in the other fixture.
Bayern Munich are already guaranteed first place, in arguably the most entertaining group of this season's Champions League. Roma need just a point against Cluj to secure 2nd, with Basel needing to win in Munich to keep their hopes alive. Finally, Ajax travel to AC Milan, and Auxerre travel to Real Madrid, battling it out for the third spot, to go into the Europa League. It will be interesting to see what line ups Milan and Madrid put out, given their positions in the group are already safe.
So I'd expect Roma and Arsenal to be the two teams to complete the last 16 line up, but given the unpredictability of football this season, don't put your house on it!
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