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Journalism of Courage
UEFA Champions League group stage has reached its climax with eight places in the last-16 still up for grabs as the teams around Europe head into the final round of group games. Eight teams that have already qualified for the next stage of the European tournament are Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Tottenham and Besiktas.
This week’s action will determine the rest of the teams to make it to the knockout stages. Here are the various permutations that will decide the fate of the remaining teams:
Group A:
Group A leaders Manchester United will be looking to wrap up their Champions League qualification with a win over CSKA Moscow. The Red Devils need just a point at home to seal first place in Group A. United are on 12 points in Group A, while CSKA and Basel trail by three points.
If Basel beat Benfica and Jose Mourinho’s side lose to the Russians it would go down to results among the three teams. The only way Old Trafford side would not qualify is if they get knocked out in the next match by seven goals or more.
Group B:
Leaders Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have already qualified for the last-16 with 15 and 12 points respectively. If the German side beat PSG on Tuesday at home by a four-goal margin, Bayern will progress as Group B winners as they lost to PSG 3-0 previously.
Meanwhile, Celtic with 3 points and a winless Anderlecht will be fighting for the third place.
Group C:
Chelsea’s place has already been confirmed in the next stage. Antonio Conte’s team, that leads the group with 10 points, play third-placed Atletico Madrid. Diego Simeone’s team must beat Chelsea away and need Roma to draw or lose against Qarabag at home to qualify. However, if Roma win and Chelsea lose, they will emerge as seeded.
Group D:
With Barcelona already qualified for the next round, last year finalists Juventus will be fighting for a second spot with Sporting. The Italian side can go through with a win at Olympiakos on Tuesday if Sporting Lisbon fails to beat Barcelona. Sporting will still be in the running if they beat Barcelona.
Group E:
Liverpool with nine points can secure top spot in Group E by beating Spartak Moskow. Liverpool only need a point to progress, while they will do so as group winners with a victory at Anfield. If the Russians were to pull off an upset, it would come down to goal difference between the two teams which will decide who exits the Champions League. This is provided Sevilla win in Slovenia against Maribor.
Group F:
Manchester City have led a perfect winning campaign to qualify for the next round and will be aiming to win their sixth match when they meet Shakhtar next. Pep Guardiola’s side enjoy a chance of being the only team to qualify for last-16 with maximum points. The competition for second place is between Shakhtar (9 points) and Napoli (6 points). A victory over winless Feyenoord will see Napoli qualify if City deliver a win.
Group G:
Besiktas have already qualified for the next round with a top spot in Group G with 11 points. The leaders have a chance of qualifying unbeaten when they meet RB Leipzig next. Already eliminated Monaco play second-placed Porto, who will qualify based on goal difference if Leipzig wins against Besiktas.
Group H:
Tottenham (13 points) and Real Madrid (10 points) have already qualified from Group H, regardless of who wins when they face each other in the next clash. Apoel Nicosia have a chance to overtake third placed Dortmund to qualify for Europa League.
