Manchester United face an uphill task to qualify from Group A in the Champions League group stage after defeat to Copenhagen.
Erik ten Hag’s side now face Galatasaray away, with Marcus Rashford suspended after his red card, and Bayern Munich at home, with the Turkish outfit and the Danes one point ahead of them and Harry Kane’s side on 12 points and already assured of top spot.
Tuesday and Wednesday nights from this point onwards can go from exciting to stressful very quickly, with results elsewhere also impacting on whether clubs might need a positive result on the road or a surprise upset in one of their hardest games.
Here we focus on what the Premier League quartet of Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Newcastle United either need to do in their respective groups to go through or have already managed to set in stone - along with the rest of Europe’s elite.
Group A
Bayern Munich are flying at the top after a late win on matchday four (MD4) to guarantee progression and first place.
It’s all to play for behind them, though.
Man United are rock bottom after a chaotic defeat to FC Copenhagen on MD4, meaning they must now almost certainly win at Galatasaray next time out, given their final fixture is against Bayern. The Danish and Turkish teams both have four points to United’s three, so it could yet be that Copenhagen vs Galatasaray on the MD6 is decisive. Two wins would guarantee United passage unless the Danes beat both Bayern and Gala.
Group B
Arsenal are top but not quite yet guaranteed a last-16 spot after beating Sevilla in routine fashion. A four-point lead means they are well on course though and a home win over Lens next time out will seal the job.
PSV and Lens are both on five points, with Sevilla on two, so there’s a scrap on to nick second place. Arsenal are away to PSV on MD6, so can still wrap up matters there if they slip up against the French side.
Group C
The group which looks pretty much set even at this stage. Real Madrid are top and perfectly four from four, with Napoli second, five points back. Braga have one win and Union Berlin have one point, so remain fighting for a Europa League spot at least.
Group D
This group is all but wrapped up. Top spot still needs to be decided but Real Sociedad and Inter Milan are already in the last 16, both locked on ten points.
Salzburg have three points and Benfica are pointless; they play each other on MD6.
Group E
Celtic earned a point at home to Atletico Madrid on MD3 but a thrashing in the reverse means their hopes of any European football in the new year are all but extinguished. Celtic need to win both their last two and hope Feyenoord lose them both, otherwise they’ll finish last.
Atleti are now top, with Lazio one point back and Feyenoord sitting a further one behind in third, so games between the Spanish club and those two rivals will still dictate the top two.
Group F
The tightest quartet of all, but it’s looking very tough for Newcastle United, who sit bottom after MD4, though only three points off Borussia Dortmund in first.
Back-to-back wins for the Germans over the Magpies means Eddie Howe’s team realistically need to beat both AC Milan and PSG, while the MD5 Milan vs Dortmund clash will almost certainly dictate who goes through from that pair. PSG have work to do themselves but winning at home to Newcastle will go a long way towards putting them through.
Group G
An easy ride so far for Man City, who have already guaranteed themselves passage to the last 16. RB Leipzig are also through and just top spot remains to fight for, with Red Star and Young Boys earning just one point each through MD4.
Group H
Porto and Barcelona are the top two with three wins from four each, but Shakhtar’s surprise win over the Spanish club on MD4 keeps them in the running, three points back in third. Antwerp are out of the running after four straight defeats.
