Matchday 5 of the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League group stage is in the books. Earlier this month, Ajax, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Juventus all secured their spots in the Champions League’s knockout stage. Manchester United, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP, Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Inter Milan are now in the knockout stage. Several clubs secured the top spot in their respective groups, and there are still some where the winner has yet to be decided.
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Matchday 6 takes place on December 7 and 8. They will wrap up the group stage and the draw for the Champions League Round of 16 will take place on December 13. At this point, three group winners are yet to be determined. Next month, the Round of 16 and relegations to the Europa League will be official.
Messi. Mbappe. Neymar.
Beaten. pic.twitter.com/UJt4wFuuSe
— GOAL (@goal) November 24, 2021
Manchester City Has Won Their Group
A decisive 2-1 win at home against Paris Saint-Germain sealed the deal for Manchester City. Les Parisiens took the win in the first meeting against Man City in Paris. PSG deployed Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappé in their front-three attack scheme, but could not make the best of it. Manchester City was able to play well as a team to win the game convincingly. In a hard-fought match (despite PSG’s best efforts and resiliency), Man City was able to spark a come from behind win to claim the group.
While it was a disappointment for Les Parisiens to not win the group, they are still in the knockout stage. The frustrating part is that despite deploying an attack with three of the world’s best players, they’re unable to put up convincing results. Now that PSG is heading to the Round of 16, they have no choice but to figure things out; poor results will result in elimination in a humiliating fashion.
As for Man City, the team appears to be in good shape. Although both teams are favorites, based on recent performances, they have a better shot than PSG of winning it all.
Manchester United Is Advancing To The Round of 16
After a humiliating 4-1 loss against Watford in Premier League play, Ole Gunnar Solskjær was dismissed as the club’s manager. Michael Carrick is currently serving as the club’s caretaker. Although the squad has been terrible lately in Premier League play, they have been different in Champions League.
Man U managed to pick up a win against Villareal on the road in their first game under Carrick. Their 2-0 victory on the road may not have been very convincing, but it was enough for the Red Devils to qualify for the Round of 16. Cristiano Ronaldo has been a huge difference maker for Manchester United in the Champions League group stage, scoring six goals for the club.
Ronaldo and company are on top of Group F with three wins, one draw, and one loss. Next month, the Red Devils will play their final group game at home against the BSC Young Boys. Man United is hoping to start a winning streak in both Champions League play and Premier League play. Nothing gets easier for the team moving forward.
Group D Is To Be Decided Next Month
On December 7, Real Madrid and Inter Milan will square off in their final Champions League group match. Real Madrid sits on top of Group D two points clear of Inter Milan, who is in second place. Both clubs are on a three-game winning streak in Champions League play. The winner of this match will also be crowned the winner of Group D. Real Madrid can top the group with either a win or a draw. Inter Milan needs to win in order to secure the group. Since the game is taking place in Madrid, Los Blancos have the advantage.
Real Madrid and Inter Milan are both advancing to the Round of 16, regardless of the result. At this point, it’s just a matter of who wins the group and who finishes second.
Second Place In Group B Is Still Up For Grabs
Liverpool has already topped Group B. Atlético Madrid is in a serious predicament, as they are at the bottom of the group after a loss to AC Milan. Atlético’s final game is against Porto on the road. Porto is in second place and a win against Atlético secures them a spot in the Round of 16. A last-place finish would be a major disaster for Atlético, so if they find a way to beat Porto and AC Milan loses to Liverpool, Atlético can secure second place.
Milan may have picked up the win over Atlético, but playing Liverpool in their final group game does not do them any favors. If they somehow beat Liverpool and Atlético and Porto end up in a draw, AC Milan pulls off one of the biggest miracles in Champions League history and finishes second, thus securing a place in the Round of 16.
Anything can happen at this point between Milan, Porto, and Atlético. It’ll be decided on December 7.
First Place For Group H Is Still Up For Grabs
Chelsea and Juventus are both tied with 12 points. The latter could have won the group with a win against Chelsea, but they suffered a 4-0 defeat. On December 8, both clubs play their final match. From the looks of it, Chelsea and Juventus should have no problem winning their final group matches.
Since both clubs are more than likely to win, the winner of the group may be decided via goal differential. Since Chelsea holds a major advantage as far as that goes, the group may very well be theirs. However, if they somehow suffer a loss against Zenit Saint Petersburg, Juventus can top the group, provided they beat Malmö FF.
From the looks of it, Juventus may have blown their chance to win the group. Chelsea is unlikely to relinquish their position.
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