Liverpool are through to the second round of UCL, Man City, United and Chelsea are trying to secure their places in week 5 matches
By Kehinde Okeowo
The 5th round of group games in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) will resume on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, and various European clubs are jostling for the 16 spots in the second round.
Few others will also try to get into the Europa League places with just two games left to play in the group stages.
On Tuesday, Bayern Munich will travel to Stadion NSK Olimpiyskiy, Kyiv, to face Dynamo Kyiv in a Group E encounter, Turkish referee Halil Meler will be in charge.
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Barcelona play Benfica in Camp Nou in the same group and Russian referee, Sergei Karasev is the match official.
Bayern are through to the next round with 12 points, they will however, want to top the group with a win in Ukraine. Benfica and Barcelona who play each other will be fighting to claim the second spot.
Group F will be a clash between Villarreal and Man United at Estadio la Ceramica, they are both on 7 points and the winner will top the group. German referee, Felix Brych is the center referee.
Young Boys face Atalanta in the other match in the group, another German, Daniel Siebert is in charge of the encounter. Atalanta can go second if they win and there is a winner in the other match.
French side Lille entertain FC Salzburg in the first Group G match on Tuesday at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, English referee, Anthony Taylor, will take charge of the game.
The second match in the group is between Sevilla and Bundesliga side, Wolfsburg, at Estadio R Sanchez Pizjuan in Spain, Turkish official, Cuneyt Cakir is the match referee
With FC Salzburg on top with 7points, it is still a very open group, any of the four teams can win the group, and any team can be eliminated.
Another English club Chelsea face Juventus in the top of the table clash in Group H, Serbian referee Srdjan Jovanovic is in charge, a draw will ensure both sides qualify for the round of 16.
The other game is between Malmo and Zenit St. Petersburg at Eleda Stadion, the match is basically to settle who gets the Europa League spot, Andris Treimanis from Latvia is the center referee.
On Wednesday, November 14, Group A clash between Club Brugge and RB Leipzig is expected to be officiated by Italian referee, Davide Massa. It is likely going to be another fight for Europa League places, though Club Brugge have a fighting chance for UCL places.
The other game in the group between Man City and PSG at the Etihad Stadium is a fight for who wins the group, City is currently top of the table with 9 points. Another Italian, Daniele Orsato is in charge.
Liverpool are top of Group B and through to the next round with two games to spare, they play Porto at Anfield with the Portuguese side, hoping to get a draw to boost their chances of qualifying as the second best team in the group. German referee, Felix Zrvayer is the center referee of the Liverpool game.
The other game in the group is between Atletico Madrid and AC Milan, at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano. They both have a chance to qualify for UCL if FC Porto don’t get a win against Liverpool, Slavko Vincic from Slovenia is in charge.
Group C will witness a clash between the group leader Ajax who need a draw to qualify and Besiktas, who are bottom of the league without a point. The match will be officiated by Irfan Peljto from Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Vodafone Park.
The other match is between Sporting CP and Borussia Dortmund at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, one of these two teams will likely join Ajax as the second best team in the group. Carlos del Cerro from Spain is in charge.
Inter need a win against Shakhtar Donetsk at home in Giuseppe Meazza to boost their chances of qualifying and will be hoping Madrid beat FC Sheriff to qualify before the 6th round games. Ovidiu Hategan from Romania is the center referee for the Group D game.
Polish referee, Szymon Marciniak, will officiate the second match in the group between FC Sheriff and Real Madrid at the Sheriff Stadium, a win for Real Madrid will guarantee a spot in the second round but that may send the home side to Europa League if Inter wins.