LONDON: The Champions League returns this week with Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid hoping to advance to the knock-out stages with a fourth straight win in their groups.

Each is at home against opponents they beat on the road three weeks ago with holders City hosting Young Boys on Tuesday before Bayern welcome Galatasaray and Real play Braga on Wednesday.

Barca are the fourth of the eight group leaders with the maximum nine points. The Spanish champions will also advance with another win Tuesday when they face Shakhtar Donetsk.

City may be without Erling Haaland for the Group ‘G’ game against Swiss side Young Boys after the Norwegian goal machine twisted his ankle during the 6-1 hammering of Bournemouth in the Premier League and is a doubt

A draw would also likely be enough for City to guarantee a top-two spot with their only serious rivals in the group being RB Leipzig on six. Leipzig play Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday.

After two years of misery in the group stage, Barca can guarantee progress in Group ‘H’ when they visit Shakhtar’s adopted home city of Hamburg, something they have not managed since 2021, when they were knocked out by Kylian Mbappe’s Paris St Germain in the last 16.

Pointless Royal Antwerp are at FC Porto in the group’s other game.

In contrast, Bayern have won 16 straight group-stage games in the Champions League and have not lost one since 2017. They won 3-1 against Galtasaray in Istanbul two weeks ago and head into the reverse fixture in Group ‘A’ on Wednesday having thrashed rivals Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in the Bundesliga.

In the same group, Manchester United will look for a repeat of their 1-0 victory over Copenhagen last time out when they face the Danish champions in Denmark as they look to take a step closer to the next stage.

Real might face Braga in Group ‘C’ on Wednesday without Jude Bellingham, presently the most thrilling player in world football, after he injured his shoulder in the goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Sunday.

Union Berlin are looking for their first points when they take on Italian champions Napoli in the group’s other game.

The situation is also bleak for seven-time champions AC Milan, last season’s semi-finalists.

Milan are last in Group ‘F’ with no goals and no wins before hosting PSG on Tuesday, three weeks after a 3-0 loss in Paris.

Still, the Rossoneri can take heart that only four points separate first from last in a tough Group ‘F’ where Borussia Dortmund host Newcastle United on Tuesday.

Newcastle will travel to the famed Westfalenstadion level on points with second-placed Dortmund in the so-called ‘group of death and looking for revenge after losing the reverse fixture 1-0 at St James’ Park.

Dortmund, meanwhile, are looking to rebound from their humbling at home by Bayern.

“Our focus now is on moving forward,” Dortmund manager Edin Terzic told reporters on Monday. “If we want to qualify for the knockout stage, we have to win our home matches.”

Also on Tuesday, Celtic face a daunting trip to take on two-time Champions League runners-up Atletico Madrid in a game they need to win to have any chance of getting off the bottom of Group ‘E’.

Feyenoord lead that section, a point ahead of Atletico, and travel to Rome for a clash against Lazio.

On Wednesday, last season’s beaten finalists Inter Milan and Real Sociedad can book their spots in the last 16 with victories of Salzburg and Benfica respectively.

Leaders Arsenal, meanwhile, will get closer to qualification with a home victory over Sevilla in Group ‘B’, where second-placed Lens face bottom side PSV Eindhoven.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2023