All choices are open for struggling Manchester United and injury-hit Newcastle of their remaining Champions League group video games this week: Advance to the pre-quarters, drop into the Europa League, or endure the monetary and sporting blow of outright elimination.
Manchester United’s Portuguese midfielder #08 Bruno Fernandes (L) reacts after they concede their second aim through the English Premier League soccer match(AFP)
Man United should rebound from an embarrassing 3-0 loss Saturday at dwelling to Bournemouth within the Premier League and must beat Bayern Munich, which already superior a month in the past.
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Newcastle hosts AC Milan in a must-win assembly of two groups dealing with the identical jeopardy within the competitors’s tightest group, the place Paris Saint-Germain and Kylian Mbappé can but deny them each.
Four locations within the pre-quarters are left to struggle for and the Premier League dangers having simply Manchester City and Arsenal within the draw on December 18.
That could be England’s weakest problem within the knockout draw for 11 years and on the worst doable time. Bonus further entries within the revamped 36-team Champions League subsequent season are given to the 2 nations whose groups have one of the best collective document throughout the three UEFA competitions this season.
Man United is final within the Group A standings, some extent behind each Copenhagen and Galatasaray and should beat Bayern whereas hoping the opposite two play to a attract Denmark.
Newcastle and seven-time champion Milan are tied on 5 factors in Group F and solely a win on Wednesday can carry both above PSG a few factors forward in second place.
PSG heads to group chief Borussia Dortmund realizing some extent is sufficient to seal the head-to-head tiebreaker in opposition to Milan, however not in opposition to Newcastle. Dortmund already secured its pre-quarters place.
The different two pre-quarters locations — value an preliminary UEFA prize cash cost of 9.6 million euros (USD 10.3 million) — can be determined in showdown video games the place groups in second place host a third-place opponent.
Napoli wants solely a draw in opposition to Braga on Tuesday and would advance even with a loss by one aim as a result of its total group distinction is healthier. Real Madrid already received that group earlier than visiting Union Berlin.
A draw would swimsuit Porto in opposition to Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday due to beating the Ukrainian champion within the group opener in September. Barcelona leads the group and finishes at Royal Antwerp, the one staff with 5 straight losses.
Though Inter Milan and Real Sociedad can be within the pre-quarters, they meet in Italy on Tuesday with the management of Group D at stake. A draw is sufficient for Sociedad to make sure being seeded within the pre-quarters draw because the group winner – and keep away from dealing with City or Bayern subsequent.
Atletico Madrid hosts Lazio on Wednesday with the same situation in play for Group E.
PRE-QUARTERS TEAMS
Group winners (seeded within the December 18 draw): Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Real Madrid.
Runners-up (unseeded): Leipzig, PSV Eindhoven.
Qualified, nonetheless competing to win group: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Lazio, Real Sociedad.
In the pre-quarters, groups can’t play an opponent from their very own nation or a staff they already confronted within the group stage.
EUROPA LEAGUE QUALIFICATION
Third-place groups in Champions League teams maintain taking part in in February within the knockout playoffs for the second-tier Europa League.
Feyenoord and Young Boys are assured of being within the Europa League playoffs, and both Porto or Shakhtar will be part of them. The image is unsure elsewhere.
The showdown video games subsequent week with third place at stake for groups eradicated from Champions League rivalry embrace Lens internet hosting Sevilla and Salzburg internet hosting Benfica. Newcastle vs Milan might find yourself on this class if PSG is profitable at Dortmund.
Sevilla is the supreme Europa League staff with a document seven titles, all previously 20 years. The newest Europa title in May is why Sevilla received into the Champions League this season after a lowly twelfth place in La Liga. Sevilla should win at Lens on Tuesday.
The Europa League knockout playoffs draw even be made on December 18. In it, Champions League third-place groups are unseeded taking part in dwelling legs first in opposition to runners-up within the Europa League teams, which might embrace Roma, Brighton and Sporting Lisbon.
Winners advance to the pre-quarters becoming a member of Europa League group winners like Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta.
Source: www.hindustantimes.com
