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Champions League Matchday 5 Roundup

Entering the final round of matches of the Champions League group stages for the 2008/09 season, only two groups have still to be decided. This means that 13 teams already have their place in the last 16 assured and will be playing their final game with only the benefit of co-efficient points or prize money at stake although some teams currently sitting in second place may hope to nick the top spot wherever possible. Groups A and B are the only groups where the top two places are still to be decided and the match day 5 results for these groups were a mixed bag.

Any two from three in Group A
Chelsea travelled to Bordeaux knowing that a victory would put them beyond the reach of the French side and safely into the knock out stages. Things were looking good when the Blues took the lead on the hour mark with Anelka notching another goal. The home side rallied from this and an equaliser in the final ten minutes kept their hopes alive. With Roma avenging their home defeat to Cluj by triumphing 3-1 away from home thanks to a Brighi double and a Totti strike, the Italians now sit atop the group with 9 points.

What each team needs to do in their last match is pretty simple, win and qualification is assured. Chelsea will be strong favourites playing at Stamford Bridge against Cluj and they should gain the three points that will assure their qualification. The other game is the more interesting one as a win for either side will put them through whilst knocking their opponent out. Bordeaux have to win to go through whereas a draw would be good enough for the home side so if you are looking for a match with everything to play for on Tuesday 9th December, this could be the one to view.

It’s a Greece versus Cyprus showdown
Things are equally tight in Group B where there is a massive game looming for the final qualification spot. Inter Milan are the group leaders but they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Panathinaikos which has helped the Greek side into second place going into the final round of matches. This defeat has put further pressure on the reign of Jose Mourinho where even though his team are still comfortably placed in Serie A and the Champions League, the press and media haven’t quite taken to him yet. Panathinaikos managed to leapfrog Anorthosis Famagusta, who were held 2-2 at home by Werder Bremen. The Cypriots were leading 2-0 with less than twenty minutes to go but heir German opponents developed a backbone that had been sorely missing throughout much of the tournament and proceeded to haul back their opponents. Anorthosis Famagusta now sit on 6 points, two behind Inter Milan and one behind Panathinaikos. As their two closest rivals are playing each other, it is impossible for both to overhaul Inter Milan so Jose knows his team are in the knock-out round and can travel to Werder Bremen with an element of comfort although the Germans will still be carrying the hope of qualifying for the Uefa Cup.

However, the final day showdown sees the Greeks and the Cypriots clash in Greece and again, whatever team wins will be guaranteed a place in the last 16 of the Champions League. Anorthosis Famagusta have had a tremendous tournament so far and should be rightly proud of their achievements but entering the last day, they are still capable of finishing in any place between first and last. Some form of European involvement after the New Year would be fitting for the club but it all depends on what happens when they travel to Greece on the 9th of December.

With these groups being the only ones with top level qualification up for grabs, the remaining groups concluded the top flight qualification process with the minimum of fuss.

Barcelona march on convincingly
Group C saw Barcelona hand out a 5-2 trouncing in Lisbon to Sporting although both teams had already qualified before kick-off. The other group game saw Shahktar Donetsk clinch Uefa Cup qualification with a thrashing of Basle at home.

Group D saw the parity between the leaders continue as the top two both sit on 11 points with 3 wins and 2 draws each. Liverpool stuttered to a 1-0 home win over Marseille with Steven Gerrard once again being the Scouse hero, although there were no outrageous dives from the Liverpool talisman this time around. Athletico Madrid also managed a home win over PSV Eindhoven and the top two will no doubt want to continue their winning ways into the last match in an effort to clinch top spot and the opportunity to avoid some of the other group winners.

Déjà vu in Group E Group E contained no surprises as Villarreal and Manchester United drew 0-0 for the fourth time in Europe’s premier competition and Celtic lost away from home again. In all fairness, the Scottish champions suffered horrendous luck losing out to a deflected shot and an unfortunate own goal but questions will be asked about how the team let their lead slip in a match they controlled. This result puts Aalbog into the Uefa Cup and leaves Celtic to focus on domestic duties where they will be hoping to make it 4 in a row in the SPL.

Group F has Lyon and Bayern Munich way out in front and their final day match will give each team a chance to get the victory that will guarantee top spot. Lyon were 2-1 winners away to Fiorentina with Benzema getting what turned out to be the winner at the same time as Bayern Munich were easing home 3-0 over Steau Bucharest, with Klose scoring two and Toni grabbing the other. The match in Romania between Steau and Fiorentina will place the winner into the Uefa Cup spot but a draw would be good enough for the Italians.

Arsenal put their domestic troubles behind them
Group G has Arsenal and Porto going through after both ground out unconvincing wins. It took Arsenal 87 minutes to break the deadlock against Dynamo Kiev where a Bendtner goal was enough to clinch a win whereas Porto won 2-1 in Turkey against Fenerbahce thanks to a double from Lopez. The showdown for the Uefa Cup place goes to the final day in Kiev where a draw would be enough for the home side to progress and finish the Turkish teams European exploits for the season.

It was no surprise in Group H that Juventus and Real Madrid would eventually triumph in the top two places but the group hasn’t been as exciting as some would have hoped for. A 0-0 draw away to Zenit St Petersburg was enough to seal the Italians side progress and a 1-0 away win over BATE Borisov, thanks to a Raul goal on 7 minutes, was enough to ensure Real Madrid remained in the top European competition.

Match day 5 was the round where the majority of teams booked their European plans for after the turn of the year but there are still a handful of teams who are looking forward to match day 6 with all to play for.

by Andrew Reilly

for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk

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