 | Crunch time for Liverpool |
11/2/2009 12:07:56 PM
It is a crucial stage in Champions League qualifying for Rafa Benitez and Liverpool.
Group qualification for the last 16 Champions League knockout stage passes halfway on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Manchester United, Chelsea, FC Porto, Sevilla, Lyon, Arsenal and Olympiakos on the verge of advancing with two games to spare, but the path for Liverpool looks much trickier.
Two defeats in a row in Group E to Fiorentina and Lyon have left English club Liverpool third in the standings, six behind the French side and three behind the Italian club.
Domestically, Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Fulham was also their fifth in the English Premier League, putting a title bid increasingly out of their reach.
Another loss in Europe would spell disaster for the club who have won the European title five times.
Benitez positive
Liverpool have lost six out of their last seven matches in all competitions but manager Rafa Benitez is convinced his team will turn their season around.
"We have confidence we can do it but we have to take our chances and not make mistakes like today,'' he said after Saturday's loss to Fulham, where Liverpool also had Philipp Degen and Jamie Carragher sent off.
"You have to be calm and keep working hard and find solutions.''
Lyon are coming off a 1-0 victory at St. Etienne and Fiorentina, who host last place Debrecen on Wednesday, beat Catania 3-1 in Sunday's Serie A games.
Victories for Lyon and Fiorentina would put the French team through.
That would also mean that Liverpool will have to win their final two games, including a victory over Fiorentina by a three-goal margin, and hope that the Italian club does not pick up another point at home to Lyon.
Cold calling
Defending champions Barcelona's hold on the European title could be loosened with another loss to Russia's Rubin Kazan this week.
Barcelona, who lost 2-1 at home to Rubin Kazan two weeks ago in one of the biggest surprises in the competition's history, now travel to play the Russian club again in wintry conditions expected to fall to minus 10 Celsius.
After three rounds of games, Group F is the closest of the eight.
Barcelona, Dynamo Kiev and Rubin have four points each and Inter Milan - more than two wins clear in the Italian league - are last with three.
While Barcelona travel to Rubin, unbeaten Inter also have a long journey to Kiev aiming to end a run of three straight group draws.
The omens are not good for Barca.
The Spanish champions go to Rubin after a 1-1 draw with Osasuna in the Spanish league and lost to the Russian side two weeks ago after a 0-0 draw with Valencia.
Coach Pep Guardiola's team have won their other seven league games and are top of the Spanish standings but do not respond well to draws.
"They are upset, especially at not winning when they were so close.
"Now we have to go into the cold and win in Russia,'' Guardiola said after the draw with Osasuna in Pamplona.
"We lost two points right at the end, but that's part of the game. I'm disappointed with the result, but we played very well. We played a pretty complete game, we were in control and I'm happy with that.
andldquo;Now we have to pick ourselves up and prepare for the Champions League game.''
After a thrilling 3-2 victory at Real Madrid, AC Milan are level on points with the Spanish club at the top of Group C ahead of their rematch at San Siro on Tuesday. Winners of a combined 16 European cup titles, they are three points ahead of Marseille and FC Zurich.
Group G leaders Sevilla will qualify with a draw at home to third place VfB Stuttgart while Romania's Unirea hopes to move closer to the knockout phase in their debut season by beating Scottish champion Rangers at home.
Arsenal and Olympiakos would both qualify by winning their Group H games on Wednesday.
The Gunners, fresh from domestic victories over Liverpool and Tottenham, host Dutch champion AZ Alkmaar and Olympiakos visit last place Standard Liege and victories will put them out of reach.
United closing in
Runners-up to Barcelona last season and winner of their third European cup
title in 2008, Manchester United have a maximum nine points from three Group B games and have a home match against CSKA Moscow (three points) on Tuesday.
Another United triumph at Old Trafford would leave the other three clubs vying for one qualifying spot from the group. Second place German champions Wolfsburg go to Turkey's Besiktas.
Group D leaders Chelsea travel to last place Atletico Madrid on Tuesday on a run of four straight league and cup victories with a 17-0 goals aggregate.
The Blues are strengthened by the return of striker Didier Drogba from a three-game European ban for his outburst against a referee after last season's Champions League semi-final against Barcelona.
The Ivorian striker's ninth goal of the season was the fourth of Chelsea's goals in a 4-0 victory at Bolton on Saturday to keep Carlo Ancelotti's team top of the Premier League.
"Having Didier back in the Champions League this week will be great for us,'' said Frank Lampard, who scored the first of the four goals.
"It's a big boost, he's a top-class player in great form. Everyone would want him back and involved.
"Hopefully he can step straight into Europe and continue with his league form because he is scoring in every game now. He's neck and neck with Fernando Torres in the goals chart, but for me Didier is the best in the world because of his all-round game.''
If Chelsea win in Madrid and second place Porto triumph at APOEL Nicosia, then the group will have been decided with two games to spare.
Chelsea have nine points, Porto six and the other two have one each.
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