Tonight's UEFA Champions League games .........
Dec 12, 2023
2023/24 UEFA Champions League
We have eight games this evening, pretty much all interesting to some degree and some seem likely to throw up some very nice "in play" opportunities.
Tiebreakers:
- Points in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- Goals scored in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- Away goals scored in all group matches;
- Wins in all group matches;
- Away wins in all group matches;
- Disciplinary points (direct red card = 3 points; double yellow card = 3 points; single yellow card = 1 point);
- UEFA club coefficient.
Group A
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BAY | CPH | GAL | MUN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bayern Munich (Q) |
5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 13 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 0–0 | 2–1 | 4–3 | |
| 2 |  Copenhagen |
5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 5 | 1–2 | — | 12 Dec | 4–3 | ||
| 3 |  Galatasaray |
5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 12 | −2 | 5 | Transfer to Europa League | 1–3 | 2–2 | — | 3–3 | |
| 4 |  Manchester United |
5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 14 | −2 | 4 | 12 Dec | 1–0 | 2–3 | — |
FCK- Galatasaray
These two will be hoping that the real Bayern turn up in Manchester and put United out of the qualifying equation for both European competitions , leaving them to battle for the big prize, with at least the Europa League consolation. It could be dangerous to wait too long and as a FCK supporter I would be a little worried by the comments of head coach Jacon Neestrup who admitted he would be following the result of the game at Old Trafford, the score of which could mean them "opening up and chasing a goal". The FCK advantage is minimal, but it does mean another draw will see them through if United fail to win. Galatasaray are very offensive minded and would love to make this an open game. They have spent an absolute fortune in the transfer/loan market and on signing on fees and salaries and it was not really with the intention of going out at this stage, or at least without a fight. Mauro Icardi , Davinson Sanchez, Hakim Ziyech,Angelino, Tete, Wilfrid Zaha, Ndombele all signed or resigned this summer, Lucas Torreira , Sacha Boey, Kerem Akturkoglu along with Dries Mertens ( they love an oldie in Super Lig............ over 30 yo, played in a top league? .....Welcome!) were already there and they have experience, goals and talent in them and a fully fit squad at present. They won the league by 8 points last season after finishing 13th in 21/22 and have seven more points on board than at this stage 12 months ago and have made a quantum leap forward in terms of progress in the last 18-20 months.
Manchester United- Bayern Munich
A win will keep Manchester United in Europe and even if that is the Europa League, it will give an extra Champions League chance for next season and the Red Devils and head coach Erik ten Hag desperately need that. They are coming off a humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth and are fortunate to have 27 points on board and be 6th in the EPL and might easily and perhaps should be mid-table at best and their -3 goal difference (12th best) is a better reflection of their ability or lack of it! Defensively they look a shambles and only Royal Antwerp have conceded more in the group stage and then only by a single goal and the Belgian team are pointless. United have also conceded 17 goals in 10 domestic home games so far, after giving up just 10 in all 19 EPL fixtures at Old Trafford last season. Bayern have nothing to play for, but had a frightful day at the office on Saturday losing 5-1 to Frankfurt and probably will not rotate as heavily for this evening as they might have originally planned to and it is four years since they lost competitive games back to back. Having said that, they have a vital home game with Stuttgart who sit only a point behind them on Sunday and in reality, that should be their priority.
Group B
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ARS | PSV | LEN | SEV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal (Q) |
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 3 | +12 | 12 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 4–0 | 6–0 | 2–0 | |
| 2 |  PSV Eindhoven (Q) |
5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 8 | 12 Dec | — | 1–0 | 2–2 | ||
| 3 |  Lens |
5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 5 | Transfer to Europa League | 2–1 | 1–1 | — | 12 Dec | |
| 4 |  Sevilla |
5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 2 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–1 | — |
PSV Eindhoven- Arsenal
This is a "friendly" with the two confirmed for 2nd and 1st place, it will surely mean more to PSV as they are at home, probably still feel a little raw over that 4-0 defeat at the Emirates, their heaviest in two years and need the prize money more , with three points worth circa €2.8m. Arsenal's defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday evening cost them first place in the EPL and priority this week has to surely be their weekend home game with free scoring Brighton on Sunday. PSV lead Eredivisie by a whopping 10 points and are a perfect 15 wins from 15 starts, so whilst they travel to 3rd placed AZ this weekend, I doubt they will be losing too much sleep over that and played last weekend's game on Thursday, so have already have five days to prepare for this and like all EPL teams the Gunners played three top flight games last week and this will be their sixth start inside 17 gruelling days and 4th on the road.
RC Lens-Sevilla
Sevilla still have a chance of Europa League football and that means more to them than any team in Europe , which was something we touched upon on the last matchday when they hosted PSV.....
Sevilla are not going to qualify for Europe through their La Liga placing, but it was the same last season and they still won yet another Europa League, their SEVENTH (!) in 17 years and fifth in the last decade, those are insane numbers and it is the competition they love above all others. A win tonight will take them above PSV and will keep the route to both competitions open and it is usually at this stage , when we are basically playing knockout football, that they come to life. They drew 2-2 in Eindhoven early last month and whilst they rode their luck at times in that, they also hit the woodwork three times and created plenty of chances themselves and we all know that the estadio Ramon Sancheq Pizjuan is a very special place on European nights and will be "jumping" this evening. They are currently on a run of 29-4-1 at home in the Europa League, that record is even more fearsome as two of the "non wins" were games they did not need the victory in to achieve their objective. The more observant amongst you will have already noted that this is the Champions and not Europa League, but they will be at that level of focus this evening, also, one of those wins was at home to PSV last season when they won 3-0 in the first knockout stage round.
No luck for us or them in that, they led 2-0 early in the second half and it should have been 3-0 at the time, they were still two up until the 68th minute when they had a player sent off and the course of the game was changed, with PSV scoring three, including a 93rd minute winner. Lens' heavy defeat in London to Arsenal kept the dream alive for Sevilla and at least everything is cut and dried for them, win or bust! Lens have no recent European experience (not since 2007) prior to this season and that has shown at times and they have found goals hard to come by and could be caught between two stools with a draw good enough for them.
The visitors are without suspended Ocampos and Fernando and missing 10 others to injury , including five who started in their best competition road performance (2-2 draw in Eindhoven) and two more who played from the bench, that is a lot of talent and experience to be missing. I am further concerned that one goal conceded too quickly becomes two or three and Lens could run away with this if they score first.
Group C
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | RMA | NAP | BRA | UBE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid (Q) |
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 5 | +8 | 15 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 4–2 | 3–0 | 1–0 | |
| 2 |  Napoli |
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 7 | 2–3 | — | 12 Dec | 1–1 | ||
| 3 |  Braga |
5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 4 | Transfer to Europa League | 1–2 | 1–2 | — | 1–1 | |
| 4 | Union Berlin |
5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 2 | 12 Dec | 0–1 | 2–3 | — |
Union Berlin- Real Madrid
During the November international break I wrote ..........
1.FC Union Berlin
Last season 62 points, xP 43.
This season xGD -4, xP 12, net BC's -6, net ITB +4 .
I cannot count how many times I have said that I am lost in admiration for how well run Union are as a club . They were promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time ever in 2019, in the four subsequent campaigns they have finished 11-7-5-4 improving each year on a tiny budget and reaching the Champions League last season. It is an incredible achievement /story. However, here they sit bottom of the Bundesliga, out of the domestic cup, unable to qualify from their CL group after 4 games and with a record of 0-1-13 in their last 13 starts (failing to score in 10)! They are not the first team to go too far too fast and sometimes you should be careful what you wish for. The fall from grace feels like it has been total, but looking for positives, they can forget about the CL now and should do similar with regard to Europa League qualification, try to enjoy their home game with Real Madrid for the big occasion it is and leave it at that and it is still early in the season, they are "only" 2 points from safety and their numbers are mid table level. If they can re-find some confidence ,but as I am fond of saying it is easy to take for granted when you have it, but a bugger to find once lost(!), then they can start to edge up the table. They appear to have parted ways with head coach Urs Fischer this morning which was doubtless a tough decision after what he and the club achieved but feels a correct one and possibly another "good" job to walk into, as it feels the only way is up.
They have played three games subsequently, a 1-1 home draw with Augsburg, after which their new head coach, Croatian, Nenad Bjelica, was appointed and he has hit the ground running with a 1-1 draw away to Braga and 3-1 win here in Berlin over BMG at the weekend, a result which took Union out of the drop zone. Their next four league games are all "good" fixtures and win-able games and if they could get the confidence boost of beating, arguably, the biggest club in world football this evening, it would be wildly celebrated and might bring with it a Europa League spot, were Brago to lose in Naples. Berlin were seconds away from the win in Madrid and with Real having won the group and with key absences and having been outplayed for periods at Betis on saturday, a famous home win, which would be remembered forever by Union supporters is far from out of the question.
The two head coaches spoke yesterday:
"We're all looking forward to playing against an opponent like Real," said a confident Union head coach, Nenad Bjelica, during his press conference on Monday afternoon. "Everyone knows what they mean in world football and what quality they have. We'll have to play a perfect game tomorrow to get a positive result - but that was the case against Gladbach. I'm convinced that if we repeat our performance from Saturday and play with confidence, we have a chance of winning tomorrow evening." Meanwhile, his opposite number, Carlo Ancelotti, was in bullish, yet magnanimous form, himself. "Real Madrid are always favourites in this competition because of their history. Our aim was to finish top of the group. We've already done that and now we want to finish the group stage successfully, put in our best performance and show a good game. We have to respect Union because they will be desperate to win their last group game. I expect a balanced and attractive match."
The game is being played in the Olympiastadion in front of a 70,000 + sell out crowd and with everything to gain and nothing much to lose, this is a real opportunity for Union to further salvage something from this season.
Napoli-Sporting Braga
Napoli will progress with a point or better and even a narrow defeat could be enough. Braga will secure Europa League football, which is always big for them, with a point, or by Union failing to beat Real Madrid. The Union win and Napoli-Braga draw double pays 17.0-18.0 and is "linked" and makes sense and I can see Braga playing cautiously to start with and maybe even Napoli will not come out all guns blazing as they do not want to be chasing this game. Of course, if news comes through that Real are a couple of goals up, then Braga have nothing to lose and everything to gain and might as well then throw everything at Napoli to try and qualify in this competition and the hosts are far more vulnerable this season and have already conceded 2+ goals in five home games and are also winless in six, with San Paolo losing it's "fortress" status big time. So you could also say the Real-Braga double is appealing @ 11.0.
Group D
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | RSO | INT | SAL | BEN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Sociedad (Q) |
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 11 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | |
| 2 | Inter Milan (Q) |
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 11 | 12 Dec | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 |  Red Bull Salzburg |
5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 4 | Transfer to Europa League | 0–2 | 0–1 | — | 12 Dec | |
| 4 | Benfica |
5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 0–2 | — |
Internazionale- Real Sociedad
These two are playing for first place , Real will clinch it with a point and to be honest, they have impressed me as much as any team in the competition this season, that might be because they are a surprise package, but they have looked very comfortable and at home in and suited by Champions League football. Inter have a two point lead at the top of Serie A, but that will doubtless have gone by the time they face Lazio on Sunday as second placed Juventus have a win-able game on Friday night. Also, Lazio are the opponent that Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi cares about the most, having spent 11 years there as a player and it was his first and only coaching position (5 years) before joining Inter and that might be their biggest game this week. The hosts are dealing with knocks and injuries and Inzaghi seems sure to rotate his squad as he did on Matchday 5. I have no issue with Inter as favourite for the game, they are experienced CL campaigners and are at home, but odds of 1.70 just feels way too short against a quality opponent who have lost just 1/12 starts (Barcelona) conceding seven goals and only two in five CL games, the fewest in the competition.
Red Bull Salzburg- Benfica
Salzburg need just a point to secure Europa League football, in fact, a one goal defeat will be enough. Benfica could have made things much easier for themselves as they led Inter 3-0 on Matchday 5 but decided to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory! Ahead of that I wrote .........
Teams from the Iberian Peninsula , which is mostly Spain and Portugal, which concludes today's geography lesson, treat European football very seriously and that has long included the Europa League, even before it became popular to do so. Therefore, it is hard to see Benfica ready to give up on a spot just yet and they can still qualify but need to start with a win today. Inter have already qualified for the CL knockout stage and whilst they will want to win the group, they can achieve that with a win over Sociedad in Milan in two weeks time. They lead Serie A at the moment, but travel to defending champions Napoli at the weekend and this week, you can make a case for that being their most important fixture. Benfica head coach Roger Schmidt started his press conference yesterday with the words "we want the Europa League" and I believe him!
His Inter counterpart Simone Inzaghi said the usual things, but reading between the lines, I think we get some idea of where his true priorities lie ....
What will the match be like against Benfica?
"We are in Portugal to play an important match with the great satisfaction of being in the round of 16 with two days to spare. However, we still have to fight to win first place in the group."
Do you have priorities between the championship and the Champions League?
"We are Inter and we have the objective of winning every match. We have qualified for the round of 16 for three years and this year we have already achieved some objectives, but we know that we have great responsibilities because our fans deserve it. We will aim to win important trophies to make them proud."
No idea what mood Benfica are really in, but I expect not a great one after throwing that away and they have drawn two league games they would have expected to win subsequently,which has seen them drop from first to third and they have a very tough domestic fixture this coming weekend. Yes, they want and need to win this by two goals, but not sure what will happen if they concede first, as one far too quickly became three against Inter (inside 17 minutes) and the same happened in San Sebastian against Real (three in 15 minutes). Salzburg head coach Gerhard Struber says that his team will not be playing for a draw and added "that doesn't suit our style or idea of football at all, we can't go into the game passively, we are determined to show we can play our usual way on the European stage, and we are focused on our performance not the result." I would like to believe him and Salzburg are traditionally very offensive minded, but just 5 goals scored in their last six starts (last five unbeaten) and they do seem to have dried up in front of goal.
Good luck!
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