Champions League: Group situations nearing resolution

GROUP AThe two qualifiers from Group A can be decided if Liverpoolwin at Monaco and Olympiakos Pireaeus beat Deportivo Coruna at home. Olymp...

GROUP A

The two qualifiers from Group A can be decided if Liverpoolwin at Monaco and Olympiakos Pireaeus beat Deportivo Coruna at home. Olympiakos and Liverpool both have 7 points, Monaco 6 and Deportivo 2.

Group B

Could be resolved if Real Madrid beat Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday by more than 3-0 to secure the advantage in their head-to-head match-up which is decisive in case of a tie.

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However the complicated mathematics involved in the groupwhich has Dynamo Kiev, Real and Bayer Leverkusen all on seven points and AS Roma on one, mean that it is likely that both qualifiers will only be known after the last matches on December 8. However if Real win, they are almost — but not mathematically — certain of their place. The Spaniards will be keen to bounce back from their 3-0drubbing by Barcelona in La Liga on Saturday.

GROUP C

Juventus have already sealed their place afterfour straight 1-0 wins and Bayern Munich will join them if they beat Maccabi Tel Aviv as expected and Juventus see off Ajax in Turin.

GROUP D

Tuesday will also be an important day for Manchester Unitedboss Alex Ferguson, whose team will make sure of their place in the next round with one match remaining in Group D If they beat Olympique Lyon at Old Trafford. Ferguson, whose first match in charge of United ended in a2-0 defeat at Oxford United on November 8, 1986, takes charge of the team for the 1,000th time. If Sparta Prague beat Fenerbache in the other match, United will actually qualify for the next round no matter the outcome of their match against Lyon.

THE ODDS (William Hill)
9-2 FC Barcelona
11-2 AC Milan, Chelsea
15-2 Juventus
8-1 Arsenal
9-1 Manchester United
10-1 Inter Milan
11-1 Real Madrid
22-1 Olympique Lyon
25-1 Bayern Munich, Liverpool