The penultimate week of group stage action in this years Champions League begins on Tuesday and with two of the English sides already through, the focus will be on the other two clubs looking to confirm their qualification.
Last week, Chelsea progressed to the knockout stages with two games to spare in Group E and were joined by Sevilla just minutes later.
The two teams will go against each other on Wednesday in a match that will have a big impact on who finishes first and who comes in second.
Likewise, the game between Rennes and Krasnodar will have a major effect on who finishes in third and subsequently is demoted to the Europa League round of 32.
Manchester City also confirmed their qualification last week and will look to maintain their 100% record in Group C when they play Porto on Tuesday.
Kevin De Bruyne has four assists in just two games in Europe and might get the chance to add to this without the pressure of qualification looming over Pep Guardiola’s side.
Marseille are still without any points in the competition this season and will need to win against Olympiacos to stand any chance of getting third and staying in Europe this season.
Liverpool suffered a shock defeat to Atalanta last week which blew Group D wide open, although the Reds still top the group and will confirm their qualification if they beat Ajax at Anfield on Tuesday.
Diogo Jota has four goals in four Champions League games and scored again in the league against Brighton on the weekend, so is coming into the Ajax game on great form.
Bottom placed club FC Midtjylland have crashed out of Europe completely, meaning that even if they beat Atalanta in the other Group D fixture, they still can’t finish any higher than last place.
Manchester United welcome PSG on Wednesday, and a win should see them progress to the round of 16 regardless of the result between Istanbul Basaksehir and RB Leipzig.
United look set to escape the ‘group of death’ if they can build on last weeks victory against Basaksehir and with Marcus Rashford, the competitions second top goal scorer, in their ranks they look poised to progress onwards.
The biggest game of Tuesday night sees reigning champions Bayern Munich visit Atletico Madrid.
The Germans have already sealed top spot in Group A and are haven’t lost in the Champions League since March 2019 when Liverpool went to the Allianz Arena and came away 3-1 winners.
Marco Roca will be suspended for Bayern, but the main focus will be how Atletico cope under the pressure of the current champions.
Should they lose and Lokomotiv Moscow beat RB Salzburg in the other Group A fixture, they will drop out of the top two and need a huge performance in the final week of the group stages to see them progress.
Finally, on Tuesday, Borussia Monchengladbach will confirm their shock qualification if they defeat Inter Milan.
They are yet to lose in Europe, despite the Italian giants as well as Real Madrid being in their group.
Victory will put the pressure on second placed Madrid, who take on Shakthar Donetsk in the other Group B fixture.
After a rough start, the 13-time winners have got things back on track and will also qualify for the round of 16 if they beat the Ukrainian champions.
In Group G, both Barcelona and Juventus have already guaranteed their progression to the knockout stages with two games to spare.
Barcelona will travel to Hungary and play Ferencvarosi whilst the Italian side welcome Dynamo Kyiv, both matches being played on Wednesday evening.
The powerhouses will face off the following week in a match that will likely decide who finishes first and who in second.
Lastly, on Wednesday, Erling Haaland will look to continue his mind-blowing form when Borussia Dortmund take on Lazio in Group F.
He is the Champions League’s top scorer with 6 goals in 4 games and will be able to continue his hot-streak later in the competition if Dortmund avoid defeat.
The other game in the group will see Zenit visit Club Brugge, desperately needing a win if they are to claim third spot.
Although this year’s group stages are coming to a close, there is plenty left for Europe’s elite to play for and it all centres around this week’s Champions League action.
By Ali Pollock
