After the 5th round of matches in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League were decided in groups H, G, F and E on Tuesday night, attention will tonight shift to groups A, B, C and D.
WuzupNaija brings to you three mouthwatering matches you can’t afford to miss when the 16 teams in these four groups take to the field of play tonight. The first match between FC Rostov and Bayern Munich starts at 6pm Nigerian time.
1. Arsenal vs Paris Saint Germain 8:45pm
When both teams met in September, Arsenal recorded an unlikely draw in Paris, now Arsenal will seek to finish the job at home against the French champion.
A victory over Paris Saint-Germain at the Emirates Stadium would ensure that Arsene Wenger’s side tops its Champions League group for the first time in seven years.
In each of the six seasons since, Arsenal has crashed out of the Europe’s premier competition at the first knockout round after getting a group winner in the round of 16.
The Gunners are currently topping Group A with 10 points, same as PSG but the London side have superior goal difference.
A victory tonight, giving it the head-to-head advantage over PSG, would now put Arsenal in the enviable position of having guaranteed first place with a game to spare.
Arsenal will be without Hector Bellerin, but the duo of Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott are available despite the pair picking up knocks in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Manchester United.
In contrast, PSG has been denied one of its regular starters in an incident that has provoked a diplomatic furor. Ivory Coast international Serge Aurier was prevented from entering the United Kingdom after his visa was revoked by authorities. The right-back was handed a two-month suspended jail sentence in September for assaulting a police officer but had a visa was issued on Oct. 18. That was then revoked on Nov. 16, with the club stating it was only notified of a final decision on Tuesday.
2. Besiktas vs Benfica 8:45pm
Besiktas and Benfica will look to confirm their qualification from an enticing Group B of the Champions League. The two teams meet knowing that a win should put them in a position to move into the round of 16.
It is as tight as they come in Group B at the moment, with three teams slugging it out for the two qualification places. Benfica currently lead the standings with seven points from four matches, while Napoli also have the same number of points. Besiktas are a point behind in third.
Benfica will definitely seal a place in the last 16 with a win on Wednesday, while Besiktas must hope that Napoli are held to at least a draw by Dynamo Kyiv, while winning this match themselves, to confirm their place in the knockout stages.
Napoli presently top the group with 7 points, same point as Benfica with Besiktas having 6 points in third place.
3. Borussia Moenchengladbach vs Manchester City 8:45pm
Monchengladbach are not enjoying a good run in the Bundesliga as they have gone without a win in the last six matches in the league. In their last fixture, the Foals suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of FC Koln.
City, on the other hand, enter this fixture after registering a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in the league tie. Yaya Toure returned to the starting lineup and the Ivory Coast midfielder was the star player of the match as he scored a brace, which helped his side seal three points.
The last time the two sides faced each other in the Champions League was in September, which City won comfortably. Sergio Aguero was the star player of the match as the Argentine scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 win.
A victory for Pep Guardiola’s side on Wedneday evening and a defeat for Celtic against Barcelona will be sufficient for both City and the Catalan club to progress to the last 16 of Europe’s elite club competition.
In the last Champions League tie, City registered a 3-1 win over Barcelona, which came after losing 4-0 against the same opponent at Camp Nou.
