Champions League: Real Madrid, Man United look to advance

Talking points ahead of penultimate round of group-st games in Champions League:

SPAIN

A victory for Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid at Shakhtar Donetsk will prevent qualification for kckout st going down to final game. Zidane is under increasing pressure to get his team playing like one that won Spanish league last season, when it dominated after competition resumed following a long stopp because of COVID-19 pandemic. record 13-time European champion has only one win in its last four matches across all competitions — a 2-0 victory at Inter Milan in Champions League last week. Madrid lost 2-1 to Alavés in Spanish league on Saturday. Eden Hazard has been left off squad after he was substituted in first half against Alavés for an apparent leg injury. Shakhtar had an upset 3-2 win over Madrid in Spain in ir first Group B encounter. Also on Tuesday, Atlético Madrid hosts defending champion Bayern Munich, with German lineup already in last-16 as winners of Group A. Bayern routed Atlético 4-0 in Germany. Diego Simeone’s team will advance if it beats Bayern and Lokomotiv does t beat Salzburg.

ENGLAND

Chelsea and Manchester City are already through to kckout phase with two games to spare. w it's turn of Manchester United and Liverpool off back of a challenging weekend in Premier League. Liverpool on Tuesday hosts Ajax, with a two-point advant on Dutch club in Group D, with a packed program, fixture scheduling and James Milner adding to injury headaches. 2019 European champions were stunned at home last week with a home loss to Atalanta. visit of Ajax comes a day too soon for return of up to 2,000 fans being allowed at Anfield. Old Trafford will still be shut to supporters despite United hosting Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday when national lockdown ends, with Manchester remaining in highest classification of coronavirus restrictions. United came from two goals down to beat Southampton on Sunday. It has a three-point lead in Group H over PSG, last season's finalist which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side beat in Paris.

FRANCE

Marseille’s Champions League form has been so bad it has set a record with 13 straight defeats in competition, and has t even scored in four group games so far this tournament. Yet European campaign can still be salvd if Marseille beats Olympiakos at Stade Velodrome on Tuesday to move level with Greek club as y chase a Europa League spot. Coach Andre Villas-Boas can feel cautiously optimistic given that Marseille’s forward line finally clicked, with France internationals Florian Thauvin and Dimitri Payet scoring on Saturday. Thauvin has easily been club’s most consistent player this season and last. What Villas-Boas really needs is for gifted Payet to rediscover magical touch that saw him shine at European Championship four years ago.

ITALY

Juventus will be hoping for a good performance to shake off recent criticism. Coach Andrea Pirlo rested Cristia Ronaldo on Saturday but, even without its star player, Juventus should have beaten newly promoted Benevento in Italian league. nine-time defending Serie A champion was held to a 1-1 draw. Juventus has already qualified for kckout st along with Barcelona from Group G and hosts Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday. Lazio and Atalanta are also looking to Champions League for joy after disappointing defeats in Serie A. Lazio can book its place in round of 16 with a win at Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday. Atalanta follows up its Anfield success by hosting Midtjylland, which is last in Group D. Inter Milan won at weekend though anything but a win at Borussia Mönchengladbach in Group B on Tuesday will consign it to an early Champions League exit.

GERMANY

Bayern is a team sorely in need of a rest. European champion’s key men have been playing almost n-stop for club and country for months, and it’s starting to show. Saturday’s game against Stuttgart brought a 3-1 win but also four new injuries of varying severity for Jerome Boateng, Corentin Tolisso, Lucas Hernández and Javi Martínez. Coach Hansi Flick could rotate squad for Atletico game Tuesday, but that would mean risking Bayern’s 100% record in Group A. Bringing in new faces didn’t work too well against Salzburg last week, when midfielder Marc Roca was red-carded in his first European game for Bayern. Borussia Mönchengladbach can reach kckout sts for first time and eliminate Inter Milan when it hosts Italian team Tuesday. That’s more than many Gladbach fans ever dared to hope for. Leipzig is in a tight struggle with Paris Saint-Germain to qualify from Group H and could gain advant Wednesday with a win over Istanbul Basaksehir. All that Borussia Dortmund needs is a point to qualify but Dortmund will be keen to beat Lazio to secure first place, gain revenge for an earlier defeat to Italians, and also bounce back from a surprise 2-1 loss to Cologne in Bundesliga.

Im credits: AP