With Europe’s major powers already through to the Champions League knockout stages, there are only four spots left to fill following this week’s final group matches.
Rubin Kazan is at already qualified Barcelona needing to better FC Copenhagen’s result against Panathinaikos to edge the Danish side to the Group D runner-up spot, while Roma will be guaranteed progress from Group E if it avoids defeat at lowly Cluj.
That leaves only Group H with both spots open, although Shakhtar Donetsk and Arsenal each need only to avoid defeat to freeze out third-place Braga.
Copenhagen hosts its Greek opponent seeking to become the first Danish team to advance to the knockout stage of the competition.
Copenhagen is second in Group D, but is in even better form at home. It leads the Danish league and is unbeaten halfway through the season with 51 of 57 available points, 19 ahead of second-place Odense.
Coach Stale Solbakken could be without midfielder Martin Vingaard and defender Mikael Antonsson because of injury.
Rubin Kazan will be looking for a repeat of last season’s shock 2-1 win at Camp Nou when it takes on Group D winner Barcelona. But the Spanish champion is in great form, having won eight straight in its domestic league including last week’s 5-0 victory over Real Madrid.
Barcelona striker Lionel Messi has six goals in the Champions League, one fewer than leader Samuel Eto’o of Inter.
Elsewhere, Inter is at Werder Bremen but needs Tottenham to slip up at FC Twente to have any chance of winning Group A and secure a more favorable draw for the next round.
Newcomer Tottenham leads defending champion Inter courtesy of a superior head-to-head record and the Italian side’s morale took another hit Friday with a 3-1 Serie A loss to Lazio. That was Inter’s fourth domestic defeat, the same as it took in winning last season’s title.
“We’ve all got to give more effort,” Inter captain Javier Zanetti said. “Lately we’ve been missing half our squad and that’s not easy. But we still have the desire to win, we’ve just got to believe in ourselves and stay confident.”
Inter heads to Bremen for one of today’s eight matches without goalkeeper Julio Cesar, fullback Maicon, midfielder Coutinho and defender Walter Samuel – the latter out for the season with a knee injury.
Tottenham needs only to match Inter’s result to win its first ever Champions League group. Spurs, fifth in the Premier League and unbeaten in six matches, could bring key defender Michael Dawson back into its lineup for the first time in more than three months after he recovered from knee ligament damage.
Schalke and Lyon are sure to advance from Group B but both could have tough matches today since their opponents are chasing third place and a spot in the second-tier Europa League.
Schalke is at Benfica, while Lyon tries to overturn its one-point deficit against visiting Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Manchester United and Valencia go head-to-head at Old Trafford to decide which of them will top Group C, with United’s players well rested after a frozen pitch caused their Saturday match against Blackpool to be postponed.
Valencia followed a 1-0 defeat by United in Spain with a 1-1 draw at Rangers, but surged back into contention with a 6-1 win over Bursaspor and a 3-0 win over Rangers.
“We are going to Manchester looking for the win and the top spot,” said striker Roberto Soldado, who has scored five goals in the tournament.
But Valencia lost 2-0 in the Spanish league to Real Madrid on Saturday.
The other three berths will be decided tomorrow.
Arsenal lost 2-0 at Braga in the last round of matches but is the tournament’s joint leading scorer with local rival Tottenham and warmed up for Wednesday’s meeting with Partizan Belgrade by taking the Premier League lead.
Arsenal, which may be without defender Laurent Koscielny because of a concussion, trails leader Shakhtar Donestsk by three points. But its superior head-to-head record with Braga means that even a draw would be enough to put it through, providing Shakhtar does not lose to the Portuguese side. Victory would guarantee progress, with Braga needing a big win in Ukraine to advance.
Bayern Munich, last season’s losing finalist, has already clinched the Group E top spot ahead of its game with Basel. The Swiss side needs to win in Germany and hope Roma is beaten by Cluj.
Chelsea and Marseille are certain to advance from Group F in that order, with Real Madrid and Milan similarly secure in Group G.
Marseille slipped to fourth in the French league standings on Sunday after only its second defeat in all competition since losing 2-0 to Chelsea in the Champions League on Sept. 28.
Coach Didier Deschamps tried to play down the importance of the 1-0 loss to Nice, which followed a 0-0 draw against Rennes.
Deschamps is likely to be without striker Andre-Pierre Gignac because of a groin injury.
The match will also mark Didier Drogba’s return to his former club, where the Ivory Coast striker scored 29 goals in 2003-04 before switching to Chelsea.
“It’s going to be a fantastic moment,” Drogba said. “It’s funny because I only played one year in Marseille but the feeling between the fans, the city, and me is unbelievable.
“I gave everything and they gave it back to me as well. They still love me and it’s nice when I go there.”
Deschamps said the love between Drogba and the Marseille fans is so strong that he is convinced the striker will again play for the team before ending his career.
“The crowd love him for what he has done,” Deschamps said. “The crowd is thankful for what he has done because, even if Didier has been at Chelsea for six years now, he was always honest and always said Marseille was his club at heart.”