Five teams can take a deep breath after securing their place in the last 16 but many more are still sweating on qualification, though Dortmund’s position appears more favourable than that of Barcelona or Ajax.
The UEFA Champions League continues with 16 games spread across Tuesday and Wednesday of 25 and 26 of October, 2022 respectively
InsightMedia Sports Arena picked out some key talking points ahead of the fifth round of fixtures.
Group E: Salzburg vs Chelsea, Dinamo Zagreb vs AC Milan
Group F: Celtic vs Shakhtar, Leipzig vs Real Madrid
Group G: Sevilla vs Copenhagen, Dortmund vs Man City
Group H: Paris vs Maccabi Haifa, Benfica vs Juventus
Group A: Napoli vs Rangers, Ajax vs Liverpool
Group B: Club Brugge vs Porto, Atlético vs Leverkusen
Group C: Inter vs Plzeň, Barcelona vs Bayern
Group D: Tottenham vs Sporting CP, Frankfurt vs Marseille
What to look out for
Can Bellingham help BVB to beat City?
Whether Erling Haaland makes an appearance as his Man City side take on his former team-mates at Dortmund is something of a moot point: with Pep Guardiola’s side already qualified, the Norwegian may be rested. However, as BVB seek the point that would guarantee them a round of 16 place, Jude Bellingham may be the centre of attention, the No22 having admitted that it would be special to qualify against his compatriots: “It would be brilliant, wouldn’t it?”
Fairly brilliant himself, the England midfielder has been captaining Dortmund in recent weeks (extraordinary given that he is only 19), and Guardiola has been a fan of his ever since City met BVB in the 2020/21 Champions League quarter-finals, when the coach smiled: “I can’t believe [he’s only 17]; maybe he’s a liar!” Bellingham’s development since has been no joke, with Man United great Roy Keane saying of him: “He wears No 22, because he is a No 10, No8 and a No4. The fact is, he has got everything.”
Barcelona facing déjà vu against Bayern
Last season was the first since 2000/01 that Barcelona failed to make it out of the group stage but any hope that was a blip appears to be wishful thinking given their precarious position in Group C. The Blaugrana need Plzeň to get a result at Inter while they must try to halt the runaway train that is Bayern in the group stage – their current run of 11 successive victories at this phase is a competition record.
To keep their side of the bargain, Barcelona will doubtless lean heavily on former Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski. Five goals in four group games shows the 34-year-old’s powers are not diminishing but even he would concede their task is an uphill struggle. The contrast is also stark for the Polish marksman given, on Matchday 5 last season, he became the first player to score in nine successive Champions League appearances on more than one occasion.
Ajax on the brink for Liverpool visit
Speaking after scoring Liverpool’s late winner in the reverse fixture against Ajax, Joël Matip said: “To get back on track and take three points from a great team, that’s a good step.” Yet not even the defender could have realised quite what a sliding doors moment that goal would prove to be given the sides reconvene in Amsterdam with the Anfield outfit six points ahead of their third-placed rivals.
The Reds plundered 14 goals in their following four games and followed that up with a crucial 1-0 home win against previously unbeaten Manchester City in the Premier League. Ajax, by contrast, lost three of their next five games with ten goals conceded in those damaging back-to-back Champions League reverses against Napoli.
“We showed that we are a team that doesn’t give up and that we are prepared to battle,” said Daley Blind after the second setback.
