Ajax Amsterdam vs Atalanta
Johan Cryuff Arena, Amsterdam
Wednesday, 09-12-2020 @8:55pm
Ref: Carlos del Cerro (SPA)
Both teams are fighting to stay in the Champions League at the moment and will want to be at their best in what virtually is a knock-out match.
Atalanta have not been at their best this season and will need to make improvements to their team to stand a chance against Ajax. The Italian side can make do with a draw in this fixture and will want to avoid a disaster this week.
Ajax have been prolific in their domestic competition but have not replicated their exceptional form in the Champions League. The Dutch giants need a victory in this fixture and are likely to take a no-holds-barred approach to this match.
Ajax and Atalanta have faced each other on only one occasion in official European fixtures so far and are yet to defeat each other in the competition. The two teams are known for their attractive styles of play and have a point to prove in this game.
The previous meeting between the two teams took place in October this year and ended in an intriguing 2-2 draw. Ajax took an early lead but a stunning comeback from Atalanta in the second half saw the two sides share the spoils on the day.
Midtjylland vs Liverpool
MCH Arena, Hernig
Wednesday, 09-12-2020 @8:55pm
Ref: Francois Letexier (FRA)
Liverpool travel to Denmark to face Midtjylland in their last Champions League Group D clash on Wednesday evening.
The Reds have already sealed top spot in the group, so this game is likely to be seen as one to test Liverpool’s strength in depth.
Last week, Liverpool beat Ajax 1-0 at Anfield thanks to a goal from Curtis Jones.
That, coupled with Atalanta drawing 1-1 against Midtjylland in Bergamo, meant that Liverpool were assured of finishing top of Group D.
That draw in Bergamo represented Midtjylland’s first Champions League points of the season. With Liverpool expected to field a heavily-rotated squad in this game, the Danish team will fancy their chances of taking the three points from this game.
This will be the last European game for Midtjylland this season, as they cannot qualify for the Europa League round of 32.
Midtjylland have no known injury concerns ahead of Wednesday evening’s game.
Liverpool’s injury crisis eased slightly in the last week, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Naby Keita returning to the side. Both players were substitutes in the 4-0 Premier League win over Wolves on Sunday evening. Liverpool are still missing several first-team players, but are expected to rest a few others for this game. Nobody deserves a rest more than Gini Wijnaldum and Andy Robertson, and it will be a surprise if those two are even on the plane to Denmark.
Liverpool and Midtjylland had not faced off in a competitive clash before this season. In the reverse fixture at Anfield in October, Liverpool won 2-0 thanks to goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah.
Bayern Munich vs Lokomotiv Moscow
Allianz Arena, Munich
Wednesday, 09-12-2020 @11pm
Ref: Sandro Scharer (SWI)
The reigning champions of CL have qualified for Round of 16 yet again for another season.
The host had an unbeaten run in the group stages with just one draw in it. They shared the spoils with Atletico Madrid in a 1-1 scoreline last time out in the CL schedule.
Winless in the group fixtures this season, Lokomotiv Moscow are looking at their last clash in the campaign until they can pull off a win against the champions.
They will visit after suffering a massive 1-3 defeat at home against Salzburg in the previous CL encounter.
The host has recorded two of the overall three wins. Both teams have scored in only one of their three clashes. The host has won four of their last five clashes with other Russian clubs. The visitor has lost only one of their last five matches with other German clubs.
RB Salzburg vs Atletico Madrid
Red Bull Arena, Salzburg
Wednesday, 09-12-2020 @11pm
Ref: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Salzburg has a rare chance to kick out Atletico Madrid from the group if they could manage a win at Red Bull Arena against one of the strongest sides from Spain.
Their previous encounter was on the road and they won with a 1-2 scoreline against Lokomotiv Moscow.
Atletico Madrid will have their doubts with the last three CL games ending in a draw.
Despite an unbeaten run in the previous four clashes, the visitor had only one win in it. They will visit on the back of a 1-1 draw at home with Bayern Munich in the CL schedule.
Their previous encounter in 2020 CL gave a 3-2 home win for Los Indios. The host has won only one of their last five clashes with other Spanish clubs. The visitor is on a six-game winning streak when facing other Austrian clubs.
Real Madrid vs Borussia Monchengladbach
Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, Madrid
Wednesday, 09-12-2020 @11pm
Ref: Borjan Kuipers (HOL)
Group B is probably the most complicated in the whole UCL at the moment, with all four teams being separated by a total of just three points.
And it definitely deserves to be mentioned that the two favorites are currently placed in the bottom two spots.
Los Blancos just cannot get placed in the third or the fourth spot at the end of the group stage campaign – or all hell would break loose.
They need a win at any cost this Wednesday to make sure that they would progress to the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, the Colts are the toppers of the table at the moment, and they have a rare opportunity to finish as the top seed in a Champions League first round.
However, they need to overcome this obstacle at the Alfredo Stefano Stadium in order to do that.
The reverse encounter had ended in a 2-2 draw. Before that, these two had contested in the Round 3 of 1985/86 UEFA Cup. Then, the Germans won 5-1 at home, while the Spanish contingent won 4-0 at their home in the reverse fixture. Not once have Marco Rose’s men kept a clean sheet on the road. Zinedine Zidane’s men had scored two or more goals in 12 of the former 13 match-ups against other Bundesliga opponents.
Inter Milan vs Shakhtar Donestk
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan
Wednesday, 09-12-2020 @11pm
Ref: Slavko Vincic (SLO)
Inter Milan’s Champions League future is on the line on Wednesday night as they host Shakhtar Donetsk at the Giuseppe Meazza.
Group B is tantalisingly poised with all four teams able to progress or be eliminated.
Inter need a win though, and will then go through if there is a winner in the game between Real Madrid and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Shakhtar will qualify if they beat Inter or if both games finish with a draw.
Having grabbed a 3-2 win over Gladbach last week to keep their UEFA Champions League qualification hopes alive, Inter continued that good form with a 3-1 win over Bologna at home.
Romelu Lukaku’s opener and an excellent brace from Achraf Hakimi ensured that the Nerazzurri walked away with three points to go second in Serie A.
Shakhtar followed their incredible 2-0 win over Real Madrid at home with a comfortable 5-1 win over minnows FC Minaj on the weekend. The result left Donetsk in second place, three points behind Dynamo Kyiv, who top the league table.
The two teams have met only four times, with Shakhtar yet to defeat the Nerazzurri in their history. The pair played out a 0-0 draw in their previous group stage game in October, with Inter unlucky not to win.
They had no such problems in August of this year, with Inter hammering Shakhtar 5-0 in the Europe League semifinals. The pair had last faced each other in the qualifying round of the UCL in the 2005-06 season, with Inter winning 2-0 in Donetsk before a 1-1 draw at the Giuseppe Meazza.
Man City vs Olympique Marseille
Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Wednesday, 09-12-2020 @11pm
Ref: Halil Meler (TUR)
Man City take on Marseille in an important fixture at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. Manchester City have already qualified for the knock-out stages and will want to rest some of their key players in this game.
Marseille will not be able to progress to the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League this year and is now embroiled in a battle with Greek side Olympiacos for a spot in the Europa League.
The French side faces an uphill battle this week and will have to be at its best against Pep Guardiola’s outfit.
Manchester City have managed 13 points from five games in their group and will want to finish at the top of their group. The Cityzens have improved since the start of their season and will have to be wary against an unpredictable Marseille side.
Sergio Aguero has made progress with his recovery over the past few weeks but is unlikely to be risked for his fixture. Pep Guardiola has to navigate a hectic schedule for the rest of the year and is likely to rotate his side for this game.
Nemanja Radonjic is currently injured and will be unable to play against Manchester City this week. Morgan Sanson is also carrying a knock and remains doubtful ahead of this fixture.
Manchester City and Marseille have played only one game against each other in official European competitions and are relative strangers to their opponents’ nuances. The only game played between the two sides took place in October this year and ended in an emphatic 3-0 victory for Manchester City. Ferran Torres and Ilkay Gundogan got on to the scoresheet on the day and are likely to feature in this game.
Olympiakos vs FC Porto
Stadio Georgios Karaiskaki, Pireaus
Wednesday, 09-12-2020 @11pm
Ref: Felix Brych (GER)
Olympiakos welcome Porto to the Karaiskakis Stadium on Wednesday for their final group stage fixture of season.
Even though the Greeks have already been knocked out of the competition, they still have the Europa League place to fight for. Olympiacos have to match Marseille’s result from their game against Manchester City to finish third.
They’re both level on points, but the Olympiens are ahead on goal difference. Pedro Martins’ team has a better chance, although they’ve lost their last four games in the competition.
Porto have little at stake in the match considering they’re already through to the next round and do not have a chance of winning the group due to an inferior head-to-head record with City.
In seven previous meetings, the honors are even between the sides with three victories each. Their last clash, which came on matchday two of this Champions League season, saw Porto beat Olympiacos 2-0 at home.
Champions League results on Tuesday
-Lazio 1-1 Club Brugge
-Zenit St. Petersburg 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
-Chelsea 1-1 Krasnodar
-Rennes 1-3 Sevilla
-RB Leipzig 3-2 Man United
-PSG – Istanbul BB *postponed
-Barcelona 0-3 Juventus
-Dynamo Kiev 1-0 Ferencvaros
