Man U, Chelsea eye top spot

Chelsea meet Besiktas in Group G and a draw following their match in Gelsenkirchen, Germany — which was moved from Istanbul due to the recent terrorist bomb attacks there — would ensure the Blues win the pool.

Real Madrid host Porto in Group F and both clubs are already through but a draw for the Spaniards would ensure their crowning as pool champions.

In Group H, AC Milan are already group winners but anyone of Ajax, FC Bruges and Celta Vigo could grab that second spot.

English Premiership champions Manchester United go into their match against Stuttgart in a much better frame of mind than they were in on Friday. A 4-0 trouncing of Aston Villa, a likely four-year contract renewal for manager Alex Ferguson and, even more significantly, the return of England star Paul Scholes has given them a huge morale boost after two successive defeats to Chelsea and then the League Cup clash with West Brom.

Ferguson confirmed that Scholes would start tomorrow — after he played half an hour of the Villa match in his first appearance since a groin operation on October 28 — which probably means it will be back to the bench for Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan despite scoring a brace of last minute goals against Villa on Saturday.

‘‘It was a great day for us in terms of Paul Scholes. He gets half an hour of play and he’ll play on Tuesday now so that is him on the way back,’’ Ferguson said.

In the other Group E game, Scotland’s Rangers must avoid defeat at home to Greek side Panathinaikos to ensure their UEFA Cup berth as a third-placed team.

Chelsea warmed up for the encounter with a 1-1 draw against Leeds United but Besiktas’ preparations have been far from ideal with a knife incident casting a dark cloud over the Turkish camp.

Striker Ahmet Dursun is reported to have thrown a knife — used for cleaning football boots — at Italian teammate Federico Giunti after a robust challenge. Besiktas have kept quiet over the incident and will hope to do their talking on the pitch against Chelsea’s galaxy of stars.

After defeating Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge, the Turkish outfit, currently three points adrift of the Londoners, can win the group, courtesy of their superior head-to-head record, with victory at the Arena Auf Schalke.

However, Besiktas will be fired up knowing they need all three points to be 100 per cent sure of qualification with the winners of the Lazio-Sparta Prague tie in the Czech capital still able to oust the Turks.

Lazio’s former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam said: ‘No one enjoys being in the position of relying on other teams and I’m praying Chelsea will not let us down. Looking at the strengths and weaknesses of Chelsea and Besiktas, there is no doubt in my mind Chelsea can win in Turkey but they must take a full squad with them for the game. Luckily, Chelsea are not yet confirmed as the group winners and that should mean there is still motivation for them to win the match. They have the talent to do it and I hope they will also have the hunger.’’

In Group H, Spanish side Celta Vigo must better second-placed Ajax’s result against FC Bruges on the same to join AC Milan in the knockout phase. Celta are currently level with the Dutch team on six points but have an inferior head-to-head record.