We’re at the half-way point of the Champions League group stages and a record five of the eight groups are led by English clubs. A lot can happen with three games left to play, of course, and the recent record of Premier League clubs is hardly encouraging but it is the first time any nation has been so dominant at this stage of the tournament and between them the English clubs so far are undefeated with 11 wins and four draws.
There are five Premier League teams in the 32-strong competition because Man United’s victory last year in the Europa League brought an extra spot. So how are things shaping in this latest campaign against Europe’s best?
Spurs
Spurs had a superb result away against Real Madrid, grabbing one point and even being a little unlucky not to get all three.
The London club sits unbeaten at the top of the group, sharing the same points and the same 7-2 cumulative goal total as the Spanish giants. Borussia Dortmund will no doubt make a comeback but the Germans are already six points behind and face a tough task to reel in the top two.
The Germans host APOEL and then Spurs in the next two fixtures while Spurs will be at home to Madrid. A couple of wins for Dortmund could put pressure back onto Mauricio Pochettino’s men and with the Premier League getting more intense by the week I’ve got a feeling this group will go down to the last game.
Will Spurs qualify? 2nd, two points behind Madrid.
Manchester City
The intimidating Premier League charge that City has mounted in the early weeks of the season can only boost its confidence about what’s to come in the Champions League.
Pep Guardiola and Co. are desperate to get their hands on the Champions League trophy and with three wins from three outings, including a 2-1 win over Napoli (left) they will be fine as long as they don’t lose to the Italians in the next game.
Even a draw would leave City six points ahead of third-placed Napoli with just two games to go. The coming trips to Italy and Ukraine will make the task just a touch more complex for the Sky Blues.
Will City qualify? 1st, three points ahead of Napoli.
Manchester United
The one English team that I expect to have a comfortable ride through to the next stage is Manchester United, which has three straight wins. When the groups were drawn the Red Devils seemed to have a favourable draw, as usual, and they are already three points clear of second-placed Basel (left) and six points ahead of CSKA Moscow in third.
The odd thing is that the main competition was supposed to come from Benfica and the Portuguese club has been a no-show.
Benfica could have caused problems for Jose Mourinho’s team but has zero points on the board so United’s path to the next round looks pretty clear. A home win against Benfica in the next game should pretty much guarantee qualification.
Will United qualify? 1st, five points ahead of Basel.
Liverpool
Liverpool’s group looked as easy as United’s but naturally enough the Reds have had some wobbles, with one win and two draws leaving them just one point ahead of third-placed Sevilla.
The 0-7 away victory over NK Maribor (left) will have given Jurgen Klopp’s men a massive confidence boost going into the final three games and a home win over the Slovenian side could edge them closer to qualification.
The away trip to Sevilla could prove a tough task and will lead to the group being decided in the final game.
Will Liverpool qualify? 2nd, two points behind Sevilla.
Chelsea
Chelsea’s group has been the best one to watch of the five involving English clubs because of the quality shown by Roma and Atletico Madrid.
The Blues lead Roma (left) by two points and are five ahead of third-placed Atletico but I expect them to lose their next outing, an away trip to Italy, meaning Antonio Conte’s side should go into the fifth game just two points ahead of Atletico.
The last game of the group will see the Premier League club host the Spanish side and I can only see a home win which would see Chelsea go through to make it five English clubs among the 16 contenders in the Champions League knock-out phase.
Will Chelsea qualify? 1st, one point ahead of Roma.
by Nubaid Haroon
YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCtMg-fWm7awR41vM1GhVOkA Twitter: twitter.com/rambofyi
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