Five games to watch this week

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A number of huge sides are facing must-win games in the final round of Champions League fixtures before Christmas.

Teams have just three more games in the newly-formatted League Phase to secure their places in the knockout stages, with the holders Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain’s hopes of avoiding a shock early exit far from secure.

Here are the five games you should look out for in the Champions League this week.

Girona vs Liverpool (Tuesday, 5:45pm)

Unlike some others on this list, Liverpool are sitting comfortably at the top of the standings as they look to maintain their perfect start so far.

Arne Slot’s Reds have already seen off AC Milan, Bologna, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid and now head to Spain to face debutants Girona.

While a top eight finish, which seals automatic progression to the last 16, will surely be secured with another win, Girona are also desperate for three points as they look to avoid elimination from the competitona altogether.

LaLiga’s third-placed side last season are currently 30th, three points off the all-important 24th place needed to sneak into a play-off place – so a shock win at home would do them the world of good.

Atalanta vs Real Madrid (Tuesday, 8pm)

Holders Real are facing an unthinkable early exit from the competition after a poor showing of just two wins and three defeats so far, which leaves them currently sitting in the final play-off position all the way down in 24th.

Los Blancos were taught a lesson at Anfield last time out and another difficult away trip is on the cards as they travel to fifth-placed Atalanta, who are top of Serie A and unbeaten in the Champions League so far.

After a much-needed 3-0 victory over Girona at the week, Carlo Ancelotti’s men need to start winning in the Champions League and fast, especially if they still have hopes of  sneaking into the top eight.

RB Salzburg vs Paris Saint-Germain (Tuesday, 8pm)

PSG are in a similarly perilous position, currently outside the top 24 after picking up a measly four points so far.

Like Madrid, the Ligue 1 champions desperately need to start getting points on the board, albeit they a slightly easier assignment as they face Rb Salzburg.

The Austrian side have a point less than Tuesday’s opponents having only beaten Feyernoord on Matchday 4.

If PSG slip up again, then exiting the competition before the knockout stages will become a real possibility with only two games to play.

Juventus vs Manchester City (Wednesday, 8pm)

Manchester City suffered yet another setback against Crystal Palace at the weekend and will look to get back to winning ways at Juventus.

It is City’s first game in the competition since extraordinarily imploding against Feyernoord two weeks ago, throwing away a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 which extended their winless run in all competitions to seven games.

As a result, the 2023 Treble winners have some serious work to do to secure their top-eight place as they currently sit 17th, two points off the automatic places.

The Old Lady are also on eight but are two points behind, so a win for either side would be huge for their prospects.

Borussia Dortmund vs Barcelona (Wednesday, 8pm)

The final game to get stuck into is two sides who have looked in good nick in the Champions League as last season’s finalists Borussia Dortmund go head-to-head with a resurgent Barcelona.

The pair are four and third respectively after both picking up 12 points so far, with both enjoying routine 3-0 wins over Dinamo Zagreb and Brest last time out in the competition.

Despite their imperious form, both sides have hit slight bumps in the road domestically, with Dortmund without a win since the victory in Croatia after draws against Bayern Munich and Borussia Monchengladbach.

Barca have also lost to Las Palmas and drawn with Real Betis either side of a 5-0 win over Mallorca and with a win for either surely sealing their place in the top eight, there is plenty at stake at the Signal Iduna Park.




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