And going into the last round of the group stages...

With just a game to go all around, I would like to take stock of Groups A to D of the Champions League (see my last post for the rest). I'll begin with Group A where it has already been decided which teams will go through and which teams will take an exit from this year's Champions League competition: Porto remain undefeated with four wins and a draw totaling to 13 points, one over an in-form PSG side who occupy 2nd place. Meanwhile, 3rd and 4th are held by Dynamo Kyiv and Dinamo Zagreb respectively with 4 points to the former and 0 to the latter. On to Group B now where Schalke remain in tip top form with a undefeated record and 11 points to their name. Arsenal occupy 2nd with 10 points while the losers of this group include Olympiacos who have earned 6 and Montpellier Herault who have 1. As for Group C, things were a whole lot closer but not enough as Malaga take top honors with 11 points - remaining undefeated - AC Milan occupy 2nd position with 8 points. While the chances of movement are low, they could theoretically still take the poll position but it would require a great deal of luck and effort. On the other hand, Zenit St. Petersburg and Anderlecht say good bye to a tournament in which they each earned 4 points so it'll come down to the goal difference and the next game with regards to who gets 3rd in the group. Last but certainly not least, Group D has similarly wrapped up with Dortmund controlling the party with 11 points in 1st as Real Madrid in 2nd earned 8 points to the good. Ajax surprised in showing for 3rd with 4 points as of now however I don't see Manchester City letting 3rd place slip away from them without a fight as they have 3 in 4th position. I'm sure you are looking forward to the conclusion of the group stage so check back here to hear what all happened!

How about the Champion's League?

Well, half of the Groups have now completed 5 games and the positions are really starting to matter now: in Group E, Shakhtar Donetsk have managed to hold onto their early form and secured 10 points to lead the group in a position that ensures their survival. Meanwhile, Juventus look as though they will be the team to progress with 9 points while Chelsea might well be left high and dry as they currently hold 7. Bottom position is occupied by Nordsjaelland who have actually managed a home draw earning them their first and most likely last point. This might all be too soon though, as the closing set of fixtures in what has surely been an exciting group have Chelsea face Nordsjaelland and Shakhtar taking on Juve. One possibility though, and correct me if I am wrong, is that Juve defeat Shaktar and Chelsea beat Nordsjaelland: so long as it isn't an absolute clobbering for the English side, they might actually lose on goal difference to Shakhtar! Moving on to Group F now, where rather than letting things go down to the wire, Bayern and Valencia have assured their move to the next round with 10 points each. Meanwhile, BATE Borisov earned 6 and Lille amassed 3. As for Group G, Barcelona have been almost perfect - taking 12 from their 5 games - while Benfica and Celtic are tied for the next round with 7 points each. The two remained tied on goal difference though I believe the Portuguese side has the better record thus far. Spartak Moskva are at the bottom with no hope of turning things around with 3 points to their name. Looking at the final fixtures now, I would give Celtic the nod as the team who will go on to win unless Barcelona decide to disappoint in front of a home crowd against Benfica. Otherwise, Celtic's home field advantage and Spartak's weak away record would lead me to conclude that the Scottish side will be making it to the next round of action! Wrapping up now in Group H, Manchester United have been assured of their success with 12 points while Galatasaray and Cluj are currently tied with 7 each. Braga have managed to slip to the bottom of the pile with 3. The culmination of all of this work then arrives in the following fixtures: Cluj will try to get something from their date in England with Manchester United while Braga greet Galatasary in what is sure to be a challenging fixture for the Turkish side. Everyone has something to play for! I hope you are looking forward to fixtures today as well!

Champions League 11/9/12

Now that we are past the half-way point of the group stage, let's take account of where we stand. Currently, Group A stands with Porto in the lead with 10 points while PSG grab second with 9. Dynamo Kyiv meanwhile are down to 3rd after amassing just 4 points from their first four games. Last but not least, Dinamo Zagreb are in 4th with 0. Elsewhere, in Group B, we have Schalke 04 up top with 8 while Arsenal have 7 and Olympiacos have 6. At the bottom are Montpellier Herault with a mere point to their name. Group C continues to be dominated by Malaga who have collected 10 - standing above AC Milan, Anderlecht, and Zenit St. Petersburg. The Italians have 5 in 2nd while the Belgian side have 4 and the Russians have 3 at the bottom of the pile. As for Group D, it is probably the closest running of all of the groups with Dortmund leading with 8, Real Madrid on their heels with 7, and the Dutch side Ajax still in the fight with 4. Last position Manchester City on the other hand are most likely down and out with just 2 points from 4 games. Another close group is Group E where Shakhtar Donetsk and Chelsea are level with 7 points apiece as Juventus fall to 3rd with 6 points. Nordsjaelland are in 4th with a point. On to Group F where any of three teams could really win it: Bayern and Valencia are tied with 9 points each while BATE Borisov have 6. Out of competition Lille are in 4th position with 0. Group G has seen some surprising action as Barca still lead with 9 though Celtic have jumped to 2nd after their great display earning themselves 7 points. Benfica meanwhile have 4 to their name while Spartak Moskva have 3 meaning this will be an exciting group in the last couple games. Finally, Manchester United lead Group H undefeated with 12 points to their name while Galatasary have jumped to 2nd with 4 points and a superior goal difference. Cluj also have 4 while Braga have just 3 in 4th position. Keep paying attention to what has been a fascinating tournament!