Champions League Matchday 6: Wednesday’s game-by-game preview
The 2023/24 Uefa Champions League group stage is coming to an end; get abreast of the final batch of fixtures coming up on Matchday 6.
Leipzig v Young Boys
Leipzig midfielder Nicolas Seiwald reflected on their 3-2 defeat at Man City that confirmed the Bundesliga side’s place in the last 16 as group runners-up.
“It was so difficult to keep the intensity up over 90 minutes, and Man City pounced on that,” he said.
“The first half has shown us that we can keep up with top teams over 45 minutes, now we just have to do that over 90.”
Raphael Wicky’s team will play Europa League football in the spring so the pressure is off for the Swiss outfit.
“We set the objective that we would like to still be in Europe in 2024, which we achieved,” said the Young Boys coach. “I think we can be very proud of what we have done.”
Match Facts: RB Leipzig’s only previous game against Swiss opponents was a 3-1 away win against Young Boys on MD1 of this season’s Uefa Champions League.
Young Boys have won just one of their five major European visits to Germany (D2 L2), winning their most recent such match in February 2021 in the Uefa Europa League against Bayer Leverkusen, a 2-0 win.
Crvena zvezda v Man City
City’s victory over Leipzig sealed top spot and midfielder Phil Foden is looking forward to the game against eliminated Crvena zvezda without the stress of worrying about qualification.
“It’s such a nice feeling to go into the last game [as group winners],” he said.
“We deserve to be in the position we are, so we can enjoy ourselves and not feel any pressure. It’s always nice when you qualify early and the pressure isn’t on in the last game.”
Meanwhile, home coach Barak Bakhar is hoping to restore some pride in his team’s final outing, saying: “The fault lies with all of us. It is a failure that we finished last in the group.”
Match Facts: Crvena Zvezda lost their only previous European meeting with Man City on MD1 of this season’s Uefa Champions League. They have lost their last three games against English teams in the competition.
English teams have won three of their last four major European visits to Crvena Zvezda, with Bolton winning in 2007 (Uefa Cup), Arsenal in 2017 (Europa League) and Spurs in 2019 (Champions League). The exception was Liverpool, who lost 2-0 in November 2018 in a Champions League group stage game.
Atlético de Madrid v Lazio
First place is on the line in the Spanish capital, with Lazio needing a victory to deny Diego Simeone’s men that honour.
Atlético have not finished top of their section in their past six attempts, failing to qualify on two occasions – a fact that is not lost on the Argentinian coach.
“It’s always important to finish as high as possible but it’s been years since we’ve been able to reach the end [of the group stage] with this peace of mind,” he said. Lazio midfielder Nicolò Rovella insists his team are focused on the summit, saying: “We will definitely play to win in Madrid. It will be a crucial game.”
Match Facts: After losing their first European game against Lazio in March 1998 in the Uefa Cup, Atlético de Madrid are unbeaten in four games against the Italian side (W2 D2), drawing 1-1 earlier this season on MD1 of the Uefa Champions League.
Lazio have lost eight of their nine away major European matches in Spain – the other, however, was a 1-0 win against Atlético de Madrid in the Uefa Cup in 1998, with Vladmir Jugovic scoring the winner.
Celtic v Feyenoord
Feyenoord are certain to finish third, meaning Celtic’s goal from this meeting will be to at least end the group stage with a victory to their name.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart was frank in his assessment of the Scottish side in this campaign and where they need to improve if they are to claim the points in this final encounter.
“It’s not just about playing good football, it’s about getting results,” he said. “I think we do fight but we’re not a 100-minute fighting team in the Champions League. When the tiredness kicks in, that’s when we need to go again.”
Match Facts: Celtic have lost their two European games against Feyenoord, losing 2-1 in the 1970 European Cup final and 2-0 on MD1 of this season’s Uefa Champions League.
Feyenoord have won seven of their 11 major European games against Scottish opposition (D2 L2) but are winless in their last three away from home (D1 L2) since a 1-0 win at St. Mirren in the Uefa Cup in 1983.
Dortmund v PSG
Dortmund’s fine 3-1 success at Milan rubber-stamped their place in the round of 16 and Paris will join them, as group winners, if they can beat the German outfit for the second time in this section.
“The most important thing is to focus on ourselves,” said coach Luis Enrique.
“If we win, we’re going to finish first, but even if we lose, we could go through to the next phase. It’s so complicated, but I hope we can make it easier by winning against Dortmund.”
Borussia defender Mats Hummels insists his team will not hold back against Enrique’s men.
“We want to get first spot and avoid the crazy good teams,” he said. “We don’t want to go out in the round of 16.”
Match Facts: Borussia Dortmund have only won one of their five major European meetings with Paris Saint-Germain (D2 L2), a 2-1 home win in a Uefa Champions League last 16 game in February 2020.
Both of Paris Saint-Germain’s European wins against Borussia Dortmund have been in Paris – they are winless in two away games against the German side (D1 L1).
Newcastle v Milan
These sides will be keeping a close eye on the Paris scoreline but know they have to win regardless if they are to have any hope of snatching a place in the round of 16.
Midfielder Bruno Guimarães believes the Magpies can beat the odds to progress, saying: “We have to keep the faith. We still have one game at home and hope our fans make an amazing atmosphere, and we can do what we have to do.”
The message is the same from the Milan camp, though, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek dreaming of a triumphant return to England. “We need to remain hopeful we can do the job in Newcastle,” he said.
Match Facts: The only previous European encounter between Newcastle and Milan was a goalless draw on MD1 of this season’s Uefa Champions League in which the Italian side had 25 shots without success.
Milan are the first Italian side to visit St James’ Park to face Newcastle in Europe since Internazionale in November 2002, winning 4-1 in a Uefa Champions League group stage match.
Porto v Shakhtar Donetsk
Both teams sit on nine points in Group H and it all comes down to this head-to-head meeting for a last-16 berth, with Porto holding a slight advantage given they only need a draw to advance.
The Ukrainian side believe a fairy-tale progression is still on the cards, however.
“No one expected us to be in contention for the knockouts heading into the final matchday, but this is our little dream. We hope to realise it,” said defender Valeriy Bondar, with midfielder Oleksandr Zubkov adding: “We can allow ourselves to dream a bit. It will be the decisive game, full of emotions.”
Match Facts: FC Porto are unbeaten in all seven major European matches against Shakhtar Donetsk (W4 D3), winning 3-1 against them earlier this season in the Uefa Champions League. It’s the most times they have faced an opponent without losing in Europe.
Shakhtar Donetsk are unbeaten in their last four away major European matches against Portuguese opponents (W2 D2) since losing 2-1 against FC Porto in September 2011 in a Uefa Champions League match.
Antwerp v Barcelona
The visitors only need a point to be absolutely sure of first place, while the home side require one to avoid ending the group stage with six defeats.
Barcelona defender Jules Koundé outlined their relief at qualifying with a game to spare thanks to their 2-1 success over Porto on Matchday 5.
“We feel really satisfied, really happy to qualify for the knockout round after two straight seasons without staying in this competition,” he said. “It’s demanding here at Barcelona.”
Match Facts: Royal Antwerp have lost six of their seven major European matches against Spanish opposition (W1), including a 5-0 defeat on MD1 of this season’s Uefa Champions League against Barcelona. Their one win was at home against the same opponents in a 1965 Fairs Cup game.
This is only Barcelona’s second ever away Uefa Champions League game in Belgium, winning the other 1-0 in October 2002 against Club Brugge thanks to a Juan Román Riquelme goal.
United qualified for the Champions League after finishing third in the Premier League last season . We were drawn in, what looked to be on paper, a favourable group alongside Bayern Munich, Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen.