2020/21 UEFA Champions League - Matchday 5 preview
Matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League is scheduled to be played on December 1 and 2 and there are several interesting match-ups to watch out for.
As many as six clubs have already sealed their spot in the round of 16 of the elite competition, but only holders Bayern Munich have managed to win their group.
Matchday 5 Preview:
Group A:
Defending champions Bayern Munich were already one of the betting favourites going into this season's competition, and a strong performance in the group stages has shown they are the side to beat. You can use this Champions League betting code to back Bayern or any other team to win this week (or the Champions League itself this season).
Bayern are already through to the next round with the top spot and manager Hansi Flick has the luxury of rotating his squad. Still, he will want his team to continue their perfect run in Europe when they come up against Atletico Madrid on the road. Diego Simeone’s side are second behind Bayern with only five points on the board.
They need to beat Bayern on Tuesday night or else, they would no longer be in control of their destiny. Lokomotiv Moscow, who are two points behind them, host Red Bull Salzburg in the other group clash. Salzburg are currently bottom with the solitary point, but they have an outside chance of qualifying with back-to-back wins, suppose Atletico fail to beat Bayern.
Group B:
Borussia Monchengladbach have been the surprise packages in the group and they are currently top ahead of Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk and Inter Milan with eight points. The German outfit can book their spot in the round of 16 stage with a win over Inter in Matchday 5. Real Madrid will face Shakhtar Donetsk on the road in the other group game and they need a victory to ensure qualification.
Shakhtar, meanwhile, can go above of Los Blancos (seven points) to second on the head-to-head, suppose they are able to pick up maximum points. Elsewhere, Inter, who are fourth with two points, can still qualify for the round of 16 with back-to-back wins, provided Monchengladbach lose against them and Real Madrid (final matchday).
Group C:
Manchester City have already booked their place in the round of 16 with the perfect tally of 12 points and they have the chance to cement the top spot when they face Porto on the road. The Portuguese outfit, on the other hand, need one point to ensure qualification. However, that won’t be a necessity for them, suppose the other result goes their way.
They are currently six points ahead of Olympiacos (3) in the race for the second spot. Anything less than a win for the Greek side against Marseille would guarantee their place in the knockout phase irrespective of their result against City. Marseille have yet to open their account in their first Champions League campaign in seven years, but they can end Olympiacos’ round of 16 hopes with a draw or win. A victory would keep them in Europa League contention.
Group D:
Liverpool’s defeat to Atalanta in the previous Matchday has opened up the group. The 2018/2019 European champions can ensure their qualification for the round of 16, if they are able to beat Ajax at Anfield on Tuesday night. Otherwise, they could find themselves in a potentially must-win situation against Midtjylland in the final Matchday.
This wobble, coupled with their injury crisis and the quality of their opponents on Tuesday, makes Liverpool's game one of the must-watch Champions League games in midweek.
Both Atalanta and Ajax are currently two points behind the Reds with seven. Atalanta are trailing Ajax on the head-to-head, but they can leapfrog them, if they better the Dutch side’s result at Anfield while facing Midtjylland. Midtjylland have only pride to play for, given they are bottom with zero points and are also out of contention for the third spot and Europa League football.
Group E:
Chelsea and Sevilla have already qualified for the next phase of the competition with 10 points apiece. They are scheduled to face each other at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Wednesday. The winner would be guaranteed the top position. However, a draw would see Chelsea remain top with their superior five-goal difference over Sevilla.
Krasnodar and Rennes have disappointed in their maiden Champions League group stage campaigns. Both have accumulated just one point from four matches. Krasnodar are set to host Rennes on Matchday 5 and the winner will seal Europa League qualification. A draw would mean that Rennes would continue to trail Krasnodar, who have the away goal advantage from the 1-1 draw in the reverse encounter.
Group F:
Borussia Dortmund and Lazio are currently the top two with nine and eight points respectively. The hosts just need a draw to progress to the next round after getting the better of Club Brugge (four points) in the recent head-to-head meetings with back-to-back wins. Hence, it is a more important game for Lazio and they need a victory to ensure progress to the knockouts.
Otherwise, there could be a final Matchday showdown between them and Club Brugge for the second spot on the table. Zenit are already out of the mix with just one point, but they can play spoilsport by ending Brugge’s top-two prospects. Zenit can still qualify for the Europa League round of 32 stage.
Group G:
Similar to Group E, it is known that Barcelona (12 points) and Juventus (nine points) will progress as the top two. They are scheduled to face Dynamo Kiev and Ferencvaros respectively in midweek and the Bianconeri must win to keep their prospects alive of finishing top of the standings.
Dynamo and Ferencvaros, on the other hand, will be hoping to pick up a surprise win to boost their Europa League prospects. As things stand, both teams are on one point apiece, but Dynamo have the edge over the Hungarian outfit with the away goal advantage. They registered a 2-2 draw during the reverse meeting on the road.
Group H:
Like Group B, any of the four teams in the group can still make the next round. Manchester United are top with a three-point lead over both Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig (six points) and they are scheduled to host the former at Old Trafford on Wednesday. They can qualify by avoiding a defeat against Les Parisiens as they hold the head-to-head boost after the 2-1 win at Parc des Princes.
RB Leipzig, meanwhile, will need to better Les Parisiens’ result to go above them in the table. They will come up against Istanbul Basaksehir, who are occupying the final spot with three points. The Turkish outfit have an outside chance of making the top two, if they can register shock wins over both Leipzig and Les Parisiens. Earlier this month, they picked up one of the results of the competition with a 2-1 triumph over United.
