With two match days remaining in the Champions League, some of Europe's biggest clubs face challenges large and small as they look to qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament:
Liverpool's troubles spill into Europe
Liverpool is in the most precarious position of the big European clubs as its nightmare Premier League season has spilled into the Champions League. The Reds currently find themselves in third place in Group E, five points behind second place Fiorentina and qualification into the next round. Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez recently admitted that it will take a "miracle" for his squad to advance into the tournament's knockout stages.
Fiorentina's road to the knockout stages also is a difficult one, as it must host group leader Lyon before wrapping up group play, on the road, against Liverpool. A win against Lyon will send Fiorentina through, but a slipup in that game could set up a very interesting final match day at Anfield (providing Liverpool takes care of business against group bottom-feeder Debrencen). The Viola have looked fantastic in both Serie A and the Champions League, yet it remains to be seen if this team has the mental toughness to finish strong in the group. Complicating matters further for the Italian side is news that star striker Adrian Mutu may miss a month of action because of a right knee injury.
While Liverpool's qualification chances are indeed very slim, stranger things have happened on Europe's biggest stage.
Milan and Real delight
As Liverpool continues to sink, A.C. Milan has begun to rise. Less than a month ago, the Italian club appeared to be on its way to one of its worst seasons in recent memory. But a 2-1 Serie A win against Roma in mid-October steadied the ship. The momentum from that victory carried over into the Champions League three days later, when the Italians shocked Real Madrid with a 3-2 road victory. The two wins have seemingly turned the Rossoneri around. This past Tuesday, Milan again faced Madrid, and although the game ended in a 1-1 draw, it was the most complete performance put on by the team all season long.
Frankly, this past week's 1-1 draw between Milan and Madrid was the highest quality Champions League game I've seen this season. It was an open and attractive game (although it did not lack in quality defending), with compelling subplots in the form of one-on-one battles: Clerance Seedorf versus Lass Diarra, Massimo Ambrosini versus Kaka, Gianluca Zambrotta versus Sergio Ramos. It was exactly the type of game you'd expect from the two most successful clubs in the tournament's history.
Madrid also deserves a great deal of credit coming out of the game. October was a roller coaster ride for the Merengues. The loss of Cristiano Ronaldo to an ankle injury was followed by disappointing results in La Liga and the Champions League. A 2-0 La Liga win against Getafe at the end of October helped quell some of the criticisms directed at manager Manuel Pellegrini, and in its most recent game against Milan, the team began to show improvement through Kaka, Karim Benzema and Marcelo, who was deployed in the midfield instead of as a left back.
The draw left Milan and Madrid tied with seven points atop Group C, with Marseille one point behind in third place. Should Milan win its next game against Marseille, it would qualify for the knockout stages. Such a result would also open the door for Madrid to advance, should it beat Zurich.
Barcelona and Inter in tight straights
Group F is the tightest of the Champions League groups, with the four teams separated by two points. Titleholder Barcelona finds itself tied with Rubin Kazan (with five points) after the two teams drew in Russia this week. The draw allowed Inter Milan to move to the top of the group after the Nerazzuri came back to beat Dynamo Kiev with 86th- and 89th-minute goals.
Inter has been unimpressive thus far in the tournament, perhaps a product of high expectations. Manager Jose Mourinho was brought in to conquer Europe, not just continue Inter's dominance in Italy. But before a comeback win against Kiev on Wednesday, the team had managed only three draws in group play.
The Nov. 24 games should go a long way in determining which teams advance from this group, as Barcelona hosts Inter and Kiev travels to Russia to take on Kazan. The last time Inter and Barcelona met, it was a game of contrasting styles, with Barcelona sending attacking surge after attacking surge against a staunch Inter defense. The game ended in a 0-0 draw; it's hard to imagine Barcelona will be held scoreless at home this time around. And although I expect both Inter and Barcelona to find a way to advance out of this group, don't count out Kazan, which has proven to be an admirable and dangerous opponent.
Zach Benabid
