UCL Match Day 5 Preview: Ready For Another Big European Night?

The matchday 5 of the Champions League group stages takes place today and tomorrow.

A number of teams have an opportunity to clinch a spot in the Champions League knockout phase.

Here’s our preview to an action packed week.

REAL MADRID VS PSG

Real Madrid come into this game knowing a win will be enough to secure qualification to the knockout stages once again. That is not a formality, with PSG looking in fantastic form in the Champions League this season, and the Spaniards will have to work hard to claim a result. Madrid have found things a little difficult so far this season and this could be a trend that continues into MD5.

A 6-0 win over Galatasaray would’ve given the side some confidence again. But, prior to that, disappointing results against both PSG and Club Brugge put head coach Zinedine Zidane under considerable pressure. This has been relieved somewhat since but Madrid will need to pick up where they left off against a PSG side that have excelled so far this term.

PSG have a perfect record to protect, winning four games from four, scoring 10 goals and conceding none while romping to qualification from Group A with two games to spare. The wealth of talent available to them has been clear to see but their ability in the final third has separated them from everyone else so far.

JEVENTUS VS ATLETICO MADRID

Juventus can wrap up first place in their Champions League group on Tuesday. The Italian champions are on a great run, while they come into this one looking to punish an Atlético Madrid side winless in their previous five away trips.

Juventus have won 14 and lost one of their last 23 Champions League group games on home soil (D8). The Old Lady are looking to win four consecutive home group games for the first time since October 2008. Their form this season has also been brilliant, with 12 wins in their last 13 matches. Having scored twice in all four group games this term, they look likely to achieve a result.

History doesn’t seem to favour the visitors in this clash. Atlético Madrid have registered just three wins in their 10 previous encounters with Juventus in all competitions (W3 D2 L5), with four of those five defeats coming in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and the other arriving in the Champions League (0-3 in March 2019). They’re yet to really click in this competition following their summer rebuild, so this trip could be a struggle.

We expect Ronaldo to put the visitors to the sword, especially when accounting for their poor record on the road. Atlético Madrid have won just two of their last 11 away Champions League games (W2 D5 L4), following that defeat last time out against Bayer Leverkusen. Juventus are in scoring form and playing well, while their winning run has us backing them to claim a win on Tuesday.

There is so much attacking talent on display for both teams that it’s hard to see anything other than goals in this game.

MAN CITY VS SHAKHTER DONETSK

Manchester City haven’t quite assured themselves of qualification from Group C but a point here will be enough for them to book their place in the knockout stages. They were enjoying a perfect campaign until their last European fixture, when they had a bit of a meltdown, drawing 1-1 against Atalanta and finishing the game with defender, Kyle Walker, in goal after a red card for Claudio Bravo.

This season, however, we’ve seen Man City respond well to a poor result and that could well be the case here as they look to take the pressure off their last game in the group. They come up against a good Shakhtar side, though, and it might not be the run-of-the-mill victory Man City fans have become accustomed to.

Shakhtar Donetsk currently sit second in the group and know they need to keep picking up results. Dinamo Zagreb also have five points and are only kept in third due to the three goals Shakhtar scored in their last game. But getting a result from the Premier League champions is no easy task and Shakhtar will need to be in peak form to challenge City.

TOTTENHAM VS OLYMPIACOS

Tottenham have been able to put their embarrassing 7-2 defeat to Bayern Munich behind them with big consecutive wins over Red Star Belgrade, winning the home tie 5-0, before going to Belgrade and beating the Serbian outfit 4-0. They come into this match against Olympiakos with Jose Mourinho at the helm and they’ll know a win here would be enough to see them qualify for the knockout stages.

Spurs have scored 13 goals in their four games in the Champions League but that huge defeat against Bayern leaves them with nine goals against. They’ve certainly turned things around, though, and they’ll still be riding the wave of confidence a new manager brings after Mourinho’s appointment last week. With an average of over three goals a game so far, they’ll be confident of another big result this week.

Olympiakos haven’t enjoyed their Champions League campaign so far, with just a single point earned by the Greek side, following their 2-2 draw with Spurs in the reverse fixture. Since then, they’ve lost twice to Bayern Munich and once to Red Star Belgrade, conceding eight goals in the process. Things haven’t gone well for Olympiakos and it’s hard to see them getting anything from this game.

BARCELONA VS BORUSSIA DORTMUND

On Wednesday, In arguably the toughest group in the Champions League this season, any team can still mathematically qualify for the knockout stages. Barcelona currently lead the way but only by a point and they need a win this week to guarantee their passage into the knockout stages. A disappointing goalless draw against Slavia Prague in the last matchweek, opened the door for both Dortmund and Inter Milan and they need to perform this week to close the door for at least one of those sides.

Barcelona have been restricted to just four goals in four games in the Champions League this season, with two of their matches finishing 0-0 and there is definitely a feeling that the side can be beaten. Finishing has definitely been the issue for the side so far with 21 shots on target but only 4 goals (one of which was an own goal), with a conversion rate of just 19%.

Borussia Dortmund have also performed a little below expectations with a loss to Inter Milan in matchweek 3 being the low point for the side. Despite this they still sit three points ahead of their Italian rivals and, with what should be an easier final group game at home to Slavia Prague, Dortmund will be confident of making the knockout stages once again. They’ll still be looking to take something from The Nou Camp though, and they certainly have the talent to do so.

LIVERPOOL VS NAPOLI

The top two clubs in Champions League Group E go head-to-head at Anfield on Wednesday when Liverpool entertain Napoli in an eagerly anticipated Merseyside meeting.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds maintained their phenomenally consistent run of results with a hard-fought 2-1 over Crystal Palace at the weekend – an outcome that extended the club’s unbeaten run to 13 matches in all competitions.

Liverpool’s last defeat came all the way back on September 17th, when they were comfortably outplayed and eventually dispatched 2-0 by their opponents this week Napoli in Naples.

But luckily for Liverpool, they meet a Napoli side in the midst of a dreadful run of form this week. The Partenopei are without a win in six games, and even though they finished level in five of those contests, things have been looking and feeling decidedly flat for Carlo Ancelotti’s men.

Below are the full list of fixtures to look out for:

TUESDAY 26TH NOVEMBER

GROUP A

Galatasaray 17:55 Club Bruges

Real Madrid 20:00 PSG

GROUP B

Red Star Belgrade 20:00 Bayern Munich

Tottenham 20:00 Olympiakos

GROUP C

Atalanta 20:00 Dinamo Zagreb

Man City 20:00 Shakhtar Donetsk

GROUP D

Lokomotiv Moscow 17:55 Bayern Leverkusen

Juventus 20:00 Atl Madrid

WEDNESDAY 27TH NOVEMBER

GROUP E

KRC Genk 20:00 RB Salzburg

Liverpool 20:00 Napoli

GROUP F

Barcelona 20:00 B. Dortmund

Slavia Prague 20:00 Inter Milan

GROUP G

Zenit St Petersburg 17:55 Lyon

RB Leipzig 20:00 Benfica

GROUP H

Valencia 17:55 Chelsea

Lille 20:00 Ajax

By Kofi Daglish