Lokomotiv Moscow vs RB Salzburg
RZD Arena, Moscow
Tuesday, 01-12-2020 @8:55
Ref: Ali Palabiyik (TUR)
Bayern have already qualified for the Round of 16, and will end up champions of the group even if they go on and lose the next two fixtures.
That leaves the runner-up spot, which opens the door to the knockouts as well, and the third position – which allots an entry into the Europa League.
Moscow are currently placed third in the table, and are pitted against the dead-last placed Red Bulls – who have a total of one point so far in the competition.
And a win this Tuesday will ensure that Marko Nikolic’s men will either progress to the next round, or qualify for the Europa League – since it would be impossible for them to finish fourth.
In that sense, this is a do-or-die game for the Austrians, as a loss will surely eliminate them from the competition – and puts the struggling squad under even more pressure.
The reverse fixture had ended in a 2-2 draw, for which Nikolic’s men were on the road. They have a 100% unbeaten record against this opponent, and have scored two or more goals in all encounters so far. They were unbeaten in seven of their past nine match-ups against other Austrian teams, and had won six of these as well. The Red Bulls have a 100% winless record against other Russian squads.
Shakhtar Donestk vs Real Madrid
NSK Olimpijy’kyj, Kiev
Tuesday, 01-12-2020 @8:55pm
Ref: Ovidiu Hategan (ROM)
Real Madrid avoided their European campaign from turning into a disaster narrowly the last match-day, as they won their pivotal game against Inter.
Now, a win this Tuesday could ensure that they will take part in the Round of 16, and should they follow it up with another win against current toppers Monchengladbach, Zinedine Zidane’s men could even become group champions.
Likely, this is a major game for the La Liga title-holders, and we can definitely count on them to arrive with their strongest line-up.
Going on – they are also taking on a team from Ukraine – whose domestic league is miles below in terms of quality, compared to the La Liga. Moreover, Zidane’s men also have a great h2h record against this opponent, as well as against other Ukrainian rivals as well.
Shakhtar won the reverse fixture, with a 2-3 scorecard on the road. However, they have lost every other match-up so far against this opponent. They have conceded two or more goals in 100% of encounters till now, and four or more goals in all but one meeting. The Royal Whites were unbeaten in 11 of their former 12 clashes against other teams from Ukraine. They have also scored two or more goals in five of their preceding six meetings against other teams from this country.
Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich
Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid
Tuesday, 01-12-2020 @11pm
Ref: Clement Turpin (FRA)
Bayern have already ensured that they will finish the initial stage of the competition as group champions, and they have done it with two match-days to spare.
Such has been their dominance that they have so far maintained a 100% winning record in the tournament, while the rest of the three teams have so far scraped together a total of one win.
Going on, Hans-Dieter Flick’s men have scored the most number of goals so far in Group A (almost four times that of Diego Simeone’s men), and have conceded the least as well.
They also will be eager to keep their momentum going on, despite ensuring progression. Moreover, it’s not really Flick’s style to take the foot off the gas once he achieves what he had set out to do. He would not allow his players to relax until the final nail is thrust into the opponents’ coffin.
Loc Colchoneros, for whom a win is almost a must, are under immense pressure, and are the underdogs in this match-up.
The Bavarians recorded a 4-0 win at home in the reverse fixture. They had also won four of the former six encounters. They had kept clean sheets in the last two meetings. These two had contested in the final of the 1974 edition of this tournament. Then, the game ended 1-1, and in the replay, the Germans registered a huge 4-0 victory.
Borussia Monchengladbach vs Inter Milan
Borussia Park, Monchengladbach
Tuesday, 01-12-2020 @11pm
Ref: Daniele Makkelie (HOL)
Inter have had a disaster of a campaign so far this season in the 2020-21 UCL.
They are yet to win a game in the competition, and are placed dead last in the table. It’s such a travesty that they were expected to easily make it to the Round of 16.
Now, they need the six points from the remaining two fixtures at any cost, and even then it’s not sure that they would make it to the knockouts. Still, they have no other go but to go after huge victories in this upcoming game week, as well as the next one.
And this desperation surely puts them in a delicate spot. They have no option but to go into all-out attack mode, and the Colts (current toppers), will easily take advantage of that.
In fact, the Germans are yet to lose a match-up, and have scored the most number of goals in the group, as well as have conceded the least.
Moreover, Marco Rose’s men are in phenomenal form (especially at home), whereas Antonio Conte’s men have been struggling for the past few months.
The reverse fixture had ended in a 2-2 draw, in Italy. The Colts had scored a total of five goals from the past two games. They are unbeaten against this opponent since 1971. They were also unbeaten in ten of their former twelve encounters against other Italian squads.
Porto vs Man City
Estadio de Dragao, Porto
Tuesday, 01-12-2020 @11pm
Ref: Bjorn Kuipers (HOL)
Pep Guardiola’s men are dead set on making amends for all their mishaps in the UCL in the last few years. They will not let another near miss to occur at any cost, and have prioritized this title even more than the Premier League.
As of now, they are at the top of the table of Group C, and have raced to the pinnacle in style as well.
They have won all of their games, have scored the most number of goals, and have conceded the least as well. (In fact, they have let in a total of just one goal all through their campaign).
This Tuesday, they take on the second-placed Dragons, who are lagging by just three points. And with just two match-days remaining, a win at the Estádio do Dragão will confirm the Citizens as Group Champions.
Porto will be without midfielder Marko Grujic, who is suspended after being sent off for two yellow cards against Marseille last week. Pepe is still struggling with a foot problem and is unlikely to feature against City, while Mouhamed Mbaye (knee) and Mamadou Loum (illness) remain sidelined.
Manchester City will be without record goalscorer Sergio Aguero for the Group C clash. The striker, who missed Saturday’s 5-0 win over Burnley, continues to suffer discomfort in his knee and will remain in Manchester. Defender Nathan Ake is back in contention after a thigh problem and 19-year-old midfielder Tommy Doyle is included in the travelling squad.
The reverse fixture had ended in a 3-1 win for the English team. They have a 100% winning record in h2h meetings over the years, and have scored two or more goals in every single clash till now. Sporting are the only team from Portugal that have ever beaten the Citizens. And the defeat had come eight years back. Sergio Conceicao’s men have lost ten of their former thirteen games against other EPL squads.
Olympique Marseille vs Olympiakos
Stade Orange Velodrome, Marseille
Tuesday, 01-12-2020 @11pm
Ref: Jesus Gil (SPA)
Marseille have been the worst team in the group so far, and are placed dead last in the table.
They have lost all of their games till now, and have conceded the most number of goals as well. And embarrassingly they have not yet scored a single goal in return.
It goes without saying that they have 0% chance to make it to the knockouts now, and their best case scenario is qualifying for the Europa League.
However, for that they will have to dramatically improve their form here on, and will have to go after the win this Tuesday.
Thrylos, who have been better comparatively, will try to take advantage of this desperation. They have posted a total of three points on the board, and are lagging by six points behind the second-placed Porto.
As such, they still stand a miniscule chance of making it to the Round of 16, and a great chance of qualifying for the Europa.
Pedro Martins’s men registered a 1-0 win at home in the reverse fixture. They have a winning streak going on against this opponent since 2011, and have not conceded a single goal in the period. Andre Villas-Boas’s men have a 100% winning record in games against other Greek teams. However, all these match-ups had taken place three decades back. Thrylos had won two of the preceding four encounters against other French squads.
Liverpool vs Ajax Amsterdam
Anfield Stadium, Liverpool
Tuesday, 01-12-2020 @11pm
Ref: Tobias Stieler (GER)
Group D is still in an indecisive state, and three of the four teams have a good shot at qualifying for the knockouts.
However, over the course of the next two match-days, two of these three squads will make it to the Round of 16, while the other will have to make do with the Europa League.
The Reds are pitted against the Lancers at the Anfield in this upcoming game, and as mentioned, either are smack in the middle of the race for the top-most spot. As such, a win is a must for both these teams.
Should the Reds secure the three points, they could practically lock in the first place, since they are pitted against the dead-last placed Midtjylland in the final game week – and note that the Danish club have a 100% losing record in the competition.
Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag’s men share the same number of points as that of Atalanta, and should the former lose at Anfield, they will in all probability be downgraded to the third spot – since the Italians are locking horns with Midtjylland this game week.
Liverpool defender Joel Matip returns to the squad after being rested for Saturday’s draw at Brighton. Manager Jurgen Klopp had hoped midfielder Naby Keita might be back from a hamstring injury but he did not train with the squad on Monday evening. Midfielder James Milner (hamstring) is the latest player to be added to an injury list which includes Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Thiago Alcantara (all knee), Trent Alexander-Arnold (calf) and Xherdan Shaqiri (muscle).
Ajax are set to be without Daley Blind after the former Manchester United defender sustained a hamstring injury against Midtjylland last week. Meanwhile, Mohammed Kudus is a long-term absentee for the Dutch side after requiring surgery on the knee injury he picked up against Liverpool on matchday one.
Jurgen Klopp’s men registered a 0-1 win on the road in the reverse fixture. However, the Dutch contingent have a 100% winning record in every other game, and have scored two or more goals in all those fixtures. The Reds have a 100% unbeaten record against other Dutch squads. Meanwhile, Hag’s men scored four goals in their latest encounter against another EPL team (Chelsea).
Atalanta vs Midtjylland
Gewiss Stadium, Bergamo
Tuesday, 01-12-2020 @11pm
Ref: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (GRE)
Midtjylland are from the Danish Superliga – quite easily the worst domestic competition compared to the other three in Group D.
They are placed dead last in the table with a 100% losing record, and have already ensured elimination. They do not have a chance to even qualify for the Europa.
Suffice it to say that they have no motivation left to play the remaining games. Moreover, they have conceded the most number of goals so far, and have also scored the least.
Meanwhile, Atalanta ara tied with Ajax in case of points, and are placed in the third spot.
However, the second-placed Ajax are taking on Liverpool, and that too at Anfield. There’s good chance that Ajax could drop points, and this presents a huge opportunity for the Italians.
Should they secure the three points against the weakest squad in the group, they could improve their chances manifold to get to the Round of 16 .
Gian Piero Gasperini’s men recorded a 0-4 on the road in the reverse fixture. They have a 100% unbeaten record against other Danish teams, and have not conceded a single goal so far in such fixtures. The Wolves have a 100% losing record against other Italian squads. They have conceded four or more goals in all of those games.
Champions League games on Wednesday, December 02
-Krasnodar vs Rennes @8:55pm
-Istanbul BB vs RB Leipzig @8:55pm
-Sevilla vs Chelsea @11pk
-Borussia Dortmund vs Lazio @11pm
-Club Brugge vs Zenit St Petersburg @11pm
-Juventus vs Dynamo Kiev @11pm
-Ferencvaros vs Barcelona @11pm
-Man United vs PSG @11pm
