05 December 2017•Update: 05 December 2017
By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun
ANKARA
Sixteen teams will take to the pitch in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday evening, in the last matches of four groups deciding the fate of those hoping to make it to Round 16.
In Group A, Manchester United (12 pts.) could be through as group leaders if they fail to do better than a draw, when they square off against Basel -- who have 9 points.
Basel -- facing Benfica in Portugal -- need to get a better result than CSKA Moscow (9 pts.) -- who face Manchester United in Old Trafford. If both Basel and CSKA Moscow win, then the teams that qualify will be decided in a three-way head-to-head comparison, including goals average.
Benfica -- unable to get a single point so far -- will finish at the bottom of the group.
In Group B, Bayern Munich (12 pts.) and Paris Saint-Germain (15 pts.) are already through to Round 16. The other teams, Celtic (3 pts.) and Anderlecht (0 pts.), both have a chance in third place to qualify for UEFA’s Europa League.
If Anderlecht can beat Celtic 3-0 in Glasgow, they can qualify for the Europa League on overall goal difference.
In Group C, English giants Chelsea are already through with 10 points under their belt. If Roma (8 pts.) fail to win against already eliminated Azerbaijan club Qarabag (2 pts.), Chelsea will top their group.
Atletico Madrid, in third place with 6 points, must win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to qualify for Round 16 and hope Roma do not win against Azerbaijan’s Qarabag.
If Roma and Atletico both finish with 9 points, Atletico will go through, having a better head-to-head against the Italian club.
In Group D, Barcelona are through to Round 16 as group winners with 11 points, 4 points better than third-place Sporting Lisbon.
Juventus, in second place with 8 points, have a strong advantage to qualify, as they will take on fourth-place Olympiakos, who are already eliminated with only 1 point so far.
Sporting Lisbon have to win against Barcelona in Nou Camp and hope Juventus do not.
